Loki's Weakness
by XxBrendaMichelexX
Summary: Emmeline is a new Avenger, equipped with powers of fire and ice. When she is kidnapped by our favorite God of Mischief, she sees past the lies and the mask he wears. Will she help Loki obtain the Tesseract and rule Asgard, or will Loki's world mission take a turn for the worse?
1. Chapter 1

**(Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so I hope everyone likes it! It kind of mixes with the Avengers and Thor: The Dark World, and I can make a promise that there is lots of Loki in every chapter of this story! Thank you for reading and please review! :))**

Chapter 1

"Give me the Tesseract," said Loki, his Chitauri scepter pointed at his brother. "This is the only time I will ask nicely."

"Brother, please. You don't need to do this. The people of Earth have nothing you want; they have nothing you need the Chitauri army for," said his brother Thor.

"Then why do you fight for them?! It's that woman, isn't it?!" Loki yelled. Thor said nothing. "That's what I thought. They have the Tesseract. They intend to use it, but I will take it before they do. I will take it Thor! …And it will be your fault." Loki lowered his scepter and turned, walking away from Thor.

Thor stood there in the study room of Tony Stark's tower, alone.

"Why does my brother resent me so?" he mumbled to himself.

"Maybe it's 'cause you're a blondie," said Tony Stark, walking into the room.

"I haven't done a thing to him, and he's resented me ever since we were children," said Thor. "All I have ever wanted was to be his friend." Tony sat down to the supercomputer.

"Sometimes certain people are beyond understanding," he said. "Was he here?"

"Yes, just a minute ago. He wants the Tesseract."

"Well we know that. Why?"

"He wants to trade it to the Chitauri for their army. He wants to take over Earth."

"We can't let that happen. Do you want me to call the others?"

"It is best. We need to have a meeting about what we are going to do."

"Alright." Tony took out his cell phone and clicked on the group contact under the name "The Avengers".

"Hey guys," said Tony. "We've got a Tesseract to protect."

* * *

Loki had retreated to his Earth mansion that he'd commandeered from a rich family with no defense. He took off his cape and sat on the couch, thinking about how he was going to take the Tesseract. He would have to get past Thor and his pathetic allies and that would be challenging, but he could do it. And when he got the Tesseract he would use it to get back to Asgard and give it to the Chitauri in exchange for their army. He could see the people of Earth kneeling before him; their new king. Then he would go for Asgard. Everyone would see that he was just as powerful, even more so than his brother. His father Odin would realize that Loki could be more than Thor and that he could be everything his father wanted him to be. Loki fell asleep on the couch thinking of his brilliant plan.

* * *

"Okay, so Loki is here, and he wants the Tesseract, which is that floating cube of shinyness. And what we have to do is prevent him from getting it," said the Black Widow. All the Avengers had gathered in the study room of Tony Stark's tower to discuss how they were to prevent Loki from obtaining the Tesseract. The Avengers were the Black Widow, who was Natasha Romanoff (an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Iron Man, who was Tony Stark, Thor, Captain America who was Steve Rogers, the Hulk, who was Bruce Banner, Hawkeye, who was Clint Barton, and the Red Fury, who was Emmeline Collins.

Emmeline was the newest of the Avengers, and was yet to participate in a mission. She had powers of fire and ice, and Nick Fury himself gave her her hero name. She walked into the study room and quickly stood next to Tony.

"Sorry I'm late, but for the record I know what's going on with Thor's brother and the Tesseract so nobody has to explain anything," said Emmeline. "Was he here?"

Thor nodded.

"Aw, I missed him. I wanted to threaten him." Thor laughed.

"It wouldn't have done any good if we're talking about my brother," he said.

"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Hawkeye. A silence swept over the group.

"We could…hide it. I mean, that won't work for very long, but if Loki knows where it is we're screwed," Captain America said. He looked at the others for an answer of some kind.

"That might work," said Tony. "Then when he comes we'll beat the shit out of him. Sounds like a plan."

"That's the plan? What kind of 'plan' is that?" said Natasha.

"You got a better one?" said Tony. "You can't plan very well with something like this. We have one objective: to keep Loki from getting the Tesseract. That doesn't sound too hard. Whatever way we do it is fine as long as it is done."

"We should probably have someone on lookout; guarding the Tesseract," suggested Hawkeye.

"I'll do it," said Emmeline. She was eager to help.

"Wonderful. If you see Loki, call us, but use your powers if he advances toward you," said Thor.

"Okay, but what does he look like? How will I know if it's him?"

"He has long black hair and a green suit of armor with a cape. He carries a Chitauri scepter that is very dangerous; it is powered by the Tesseract. Don't let him touch you with it or it will turn you into his servant, or even kill you. You are very powerful, Emmeline. You can do this." Emmeline smiled.

"I won't let you down," she said.

When all the Avengers left, Emmeline stayed in the study room, looking at the Tesseract. It was a brightly lit cube, spinning in its place on the stand. It looked like a little blue piece of the sun. She wondered why Thor stayed on Earth and didn't just take it back to Asgard himself. She remembered Thor telling her about how the Avengers came together. Thor was the one that brought her into the super group. He found her using her powers for warmth on the streets.

Emmeline had been abandoned by her parents when she was eight. They thought she was a danger and dumped her on the streets. They drove away and she trusted that they would come back. She waited for days. But they never came back for her.

Emmeline lived by herself on the streets from then on. Thor had rescued her. The night he found her he took her to Tony's tower and while he bandaged her scars he told her about the Avengers.

"I come from the planet Asgard," he had said. "My father Odin battled with the Frost Giants and the Tesseract was lost on Earth. But my brother Loki had always wanted to be king. He tried to bring the Frost Giants to Asgard and defeat them, while abandoning me on Earth. But I returned and to save Asgard I had to destroy the bifrost and Loki fell into an abyss. I don't know how he survived, but now he's come to Earth to take the Tesseract and take over Asgard once again."

"He doesn't sound very nice," Emmeline had said.

"No, but he is my brother."

Emmeline stood by the Tesseract for a very long time, and there was no sign of Loki. Eventually it was midnight, and Emmeline thought she heard something. She turned around, and a sliver of green flashed before her eyes. But then there was nothing. She looked all around her, and before she knew it, he was standing right in front of her.

* * *

Loki knew that the Avengers would have some kind of plan of protecting the Tesseract, so he decided to go after it at night. He decided to set his expectations high, so the mission would be easy. He planned for an army of protection; that way no matter what they faced him with, he would be able to get past it.

That night he took his Chitauri scepter and teleported himself to Tony Stark's tower. There was no army. In fact, there was nothing. Loki was careful. Certainly they wouldn't leave the Tesseract completely unprotected. They must have been hiding somewhere. Loki observed his surroundings, still not seeing anyone. He tentatively made his way to the study room, and there stood a girl. That was it. A small girl looking to be about twenty, standing in front of the Tesseract.

He made sure she didn't see him, and he looked around, expecting to see some guards or maybe even the rest of the Avengers. But there was nothing. Just the girl. Well then this was going to be easy. He used his magic to create an illusion of himself at the other side of the room and the girl turned around. She saw him. He decided to just go up and take it from her. It would be easy.

Loki stood directly in front of the girl and he turned the illusion off. She gasped and turned back around. He smiled at her.

"Hello," he said. She said nothing. "I believe you have something that I want." He leaned his scepter toward the Tesseract.

"Don't," she commanded in a stern voice.

"It will be easier for you to just give it to me," he said.

"No Loki," she said, and as Loki raised his Chitauri scepter, the girl raised her hands and formed a thick block of ice over it. Loki dropped the scepter and looked at her with amazement. She was an Avenger.

"I don't believe we've met," said Loki. She threw her hands forward and froze his feet in place. He gave her an angry look.

"Hopefully we won't again," said the girl, walking over to the supercomputer. She pressed a red button.

"Tony, Loki is here. I have him…contained." Loki looked at her with anger. She couldn't have captured him so easily! He planned his mission so well, he couldn't let Thor and the rest of the Avengers come and capture him.

"Unfreeze me right now!" he said. The girl looked at him.

"I'm not an idiot," she said. "I see you have greatly underestimated me." She walked over to him and picked up his scepter.

"Don't touch that!" he yelled. She smirked at him and just then Iron Man and Thor came into the room.

"Well, what do you know?" said Iron Man. "The Red Fury caught a loser." Loki let out a sigh and looked at Thor.

"Hello brother," he said. "Did you miss me?"

"Loki…" began Thor.

"I told you it would be easier for you to give me the Tesseract."

"I don't know, so far it's still pretty easy," said Iron Man. Loki said nothing. The ice on his feet was making him very cold and he started to shiver. Thor walked up to him.

"Loki my brother, I am sorry. But I told you that we were not going to give you the Tesseract. And we will not. We are forced to be rough with you."

"You are a coward," said Loki, shivering. Frost started to form on the tips of his hair and his lips turned blue. Thor sighed.

"Emmeline," said Thor. Emmeline came over and Thor nodded to her. She placed her hands over Loki's feet and melted the ice. Thor handed Loki's scepter back to him.

"Don't come back here, Loki," said Thor. "Or I will kill you." Loki smiled, as if he was mocking him. Emmeline and Iron Man looked at Thor.

"You're letting him go?" said Emmeline. Thor said nothing and walked out of the room. Emmeline looked at Iron Man, and he shrugged.

"Sorry to be rude, but I have to be going," said Loki, smirking, looking at Emmeline as he left.

"You did good Red," said Tony.

"Why did Thor let him go?" Tony shook his head.

"I don't know."

Tony left the room and Emmeline decided to go and find Thor. She didn't have to look very far; he was standing in the kitchen. Emmeline walked up to him.

"Why did you let Loki go?" she asked.

"He's my brother," said Thor. "I told him I would kill him if he came back."

"He's going to come back."

"I know."

"Are you going to kill him?"

"I…don't know." Emmeline didn't say anything. She decided to let Thor alone. She exited the kitchen and walked down the hall planning to go to her car. But suddenly, Loki was there. He hadn't left; it was an illusion, the tricks Loki did that Thor had told her about once before.

Before she could say anything, he threw his arms around her, his hand over her mouth. She struggled, but he was stronger than her. His Chitauri scepter touched her hands, so she could not use her powers. He moved it to her head and she fell unconscious.

* * *

When Emmeline woke up, she was in a big glass cage located in an even bigger gray room. Loki stood outside the cage, looking in at her. For a villain, he sure was handsome. She rushed toward the wall and yelled through the glass.

"You'd better let me out! Where am I? Loki!" Loki smiled mischievously and entered the cage. He stood very close to Emmeline.

"I'm sorry, but you are the only thing holding me back from obtaining the Tesseract," he said. "They will look for you. And I will take it when they do."

Emmeline said nothing. She placed her hand on Loki's chest and pushed all of her heat powers onto him. He dropped his Chitauri scepter and gasped in pain, cringing.

"Stop," he said in a whisper. "Please stop." She lifted her hands off of him and he pointed his scepter at her. She gasped in fear and Loki smiled, lifting it down.

"I won't kill you," he said, turning away from her on his way out of the cage.

"Why?" she asked. "Why won't you kill me?" He turned to look at her.

"Because I like you," he said, leaving her with that.

Emmeline sat in the glass room with nothing but a chair. He _liked_ her? What did that mean? Did that mean he was going to kill her more painfully? Emmeline was very confused. She was hungry too.

She sat there with her mind, for what felt like a long time. But Loki came back before she went completely insane. He brought her a plate of food, with meatloaf and mashed potatoes that looked like it came out of a TV dinner. She took it and looked at Loki.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

"Nothing that you cannot handle," said Loki, smiling in a sort of mischievous way. "I will be back shortly."

Loki was very different than Emmeline thought he would be. He didn't seem so evil or malicious. He was a definite criminal, but he wasn't hurting her like she thought he would. She ate her meatloaf and before she was done, Loki came in with blankets and pillows.

"I forgot to put anything in here, so here is some bedding," he said. "Don't burn it up." He smiled again. This time Emmeline smiled back.

That night, Emmeline lied on her blankets and decided that it would just be easier for her to go to sleep instead of lying awake worrying. But she couldn't sleep, because she heard Loki yelling. She made her way to the door so she could hear better. Maybe she would get some useful information.

"Odin, I have to!" yelled Loki. "Why do you always take Thor's side?! First you imprison me and make him king, and now you ask me to leave your favorite son alone and go back to Asgard as the pathetic adopted son that didn't matter! Well you are not my father, and I do not have to do as you say anymore. I am the rightful king of Asgard! I will prove to you that I am far more than my brother and you will wish you had made me king in the first place!" Emmeline heard the man identified as Odin say something, but she couldn't make it out. Loki's roaring voice sounded again.

"The Tesseract is mine! Thor squanders its power, but I will use it for its purpose! I AM NOT THOR, ODIN!" Emmeline heard Loki break something in anger and he yelled as loud as he could. Emmeline tiptoed back to her blankets and sat down. Thor hadn't told her the complete truth. He said nothing about Loki being adopted. Thor had never mentioned that Loki only wanted to be as much as his superior older brother; he made it out like Loki just wanted to take over the world. Loki was nothing like Thor said. Thor loved him, she knew, but he terribly misunderstood his brother.

* * *

**(Author's Note (again): Sorry if I made the last part unclear: when Loki is talking to Odin, he is in another room and Odin is appearing in the form of a hologram, kind of like Frigga did in The Dark World. Sorry I forgot to write that in. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Loki came into the glass room frequently to give Emmeline food and blankets. Sometimes he even talked to her. On the fifth day he came in with a paper cup. He sat on the floor next to Emmeline and sat the cup in front of her.

"I want to see what you can do," he said. "Show me your unique abilities." Emmeline looked at him and he was looking at her in anticipation. She placed her hands over the paper cup and it burst into flames. Loki gasped and looked at her. She put her hands back over the cup and formed a thin layer of ice over it; extinguishing the flames.

"That is astonishing," he said. "How do you do that?"

"I don't know," said Emmeline. "I just…do it. I feel the energy of the heat or ice and force it through my hands. That's the only way I can explain it."

"You will do nicely helping me retrieve the Tesseract," said Loki. Emmeline stood up.

"What? No! What makes you think I would help you?" Loki stood up and looked at her sternly.

"What choice do you have?" He said this as if it was a command, and walked out of the room, his black and green cape brushing her leg. Emmeline let out an exasperated sigh and sat on her blankets. She was sick of being in that room. She was sick of being here. She wanted to go back to the Avengers. She missed Tony, and Thor, Hawkeye and the others. She was very lonely.

As Emmeline sat by herself, thinking of her friends, she began to cry. She missed them all, but she was stuck in this glass room with no one but Loki every once in a while. But why hadn't they found her yet, or even come to get her? Were they even looking? Surely they would know that Loki had taken her.

Emmeline tried to stop crying and lied on her blankets but it was no use. She was lonely and sad; she didn't know how long she would be here or if she would ever get out. She started to hear footsteps down the hall and tried her best to quiet her crying. But Loki heard her. She saw him through the window and turned to her other side; her back to him. He walked in slowly. She looked at him quickly and then looked away, giving up trying to hide her tears. Loki stood there for a moment and left again.

It was about half an hour before he came back again. He walked into the glass room and kneeled down to Emmeline. He handed her a little white rabbit. She looked at him in bewilderment as she took the rabbit. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Why did you give me a rabbit?" she asked. Loki laughed and smiled at her.

"Because you were crying. It's cute, see? Women love rabbits, correct?" Emmeline nodded. "What is your name?"

"Emmeline," she said.

"Emmeline," Loki repeated to himself.

"Loki, what is so great about the Tesseract that everyone has to have it? Why is it so important?" asked Emmeline. Loki got very serious.

"The Tesseract is an object of infinite power and energy. It is very powerful and very dangerous if put into the wrong hands. My hands are the wrong hands." He smiled. "It opens a portal between Asgard and Earth, and powers my Chitauri scepter. I need it to get back to Asgard and return it to the Chitauri. Then they will give me their army."

"You're not afraid to tell me any of this?" Loki stood up and grinned at her.

"It's not a secret."

"Okay then, why do you want their army?" He smiled at her again, mischievously as always.

"So I can rule the people of Earth and Asgard. I will bring peace to the worlds, and I will take my rightful place as king."

"What if Thor stops you? You have fought with him a lot, and I sense a pattern."

"Ooh, I like your confidence! I am much more powerful than Thor. I have an army. He has a hammer."

"What are you going to do with the rest of the Avengers?"

"Make them my servants."

"What about me then?" Emmeline stood up. "Why haven't you made me your servant already?" Loki stood up as well.

"Because I like you, Emmeline. You have rage inside of you, I can feel it. It is the same that I have. I know you agree with me. You just refuse to accept it."

"Oh? Well what if I never do? What if I don't like you?"

"Then you would be burning me up right now. Why don't you? Why don't you place your hands over me and let me **burn** into _nothing_ right here, I know you can do it!" He smiled and widened his eyes at her as he spoke.

"I know what you're trying to do Loki; I know you are trying to make me want to. You're trying to make me unleash all my power so you can see what I can do and manipulate it. You want what I have."

"You're smart," Loki replied. "But not smart enough." He smirked at her and left the room.

Loki was right. Emmeline did like him. She liked arguing with him and she knew he did too. But what did he mean when he said there was rage inside of her? She decided to push it aside. Loki was manipulative and he loved to fight. Those were terrible qualities, but Emmeline liked them. She began to worry about herself.

But even though he was a criminal he was sweet in a way. Loki just came in and gave her a rabbit because he saw her crying. She hated to admit it, but that was a really sweet thing to do. He had this charm about him. He wasn't afraid to say exactly why he did something; exactly how he felt. He wasn't afraid to show his humanity, when there was any. And really, he just wanted what everyone else in the world wanted. He wanted love. The love of his father, the love and respect of his people. He had been looked down on his whole life; living in Thor's shadow, and all he wanted was to be what his brother was. That was not evil. That was humanity. All the hate and revenge took over this insecurity. And Emmeline found that intriguing.

* * *

Tony Stark was in his study room with his supercomputer, looking at the Tesseract. It had begun to move and send beams of light through its containment unit. The screen on his supercomputer beside it read "UNSTABLE".

"How's the rock?" asked Tony's assistant/girlfriend Pepper.

"It's unstable," he said. "It moves as if it's trying to get out of its containment unit. But I don't know what to do about it."

"I think you should call Nick," said Pepper. "You can't keep it here. Loki knows where it is and we need professionals to look after it."

"I'm not a professional?" said Tony sarcastically. Pepper giggled.

"You're a genius, but we need scientists."

"I know. But I don't know if Nick will take it back."

"He has to. The only place that is safe for it is S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. I'll call him if you want." There was a knock at the door.

"Hold that thought," said Tony. He opened the door and Nick Fury was standing there with three of his agents. "Never mind, he's here right now. We were just talking about you."

"There is no time for jokes Stark; we need to take the Tesseract back to Headquarters." Tony looked at Pepper and she smirked at him.

"Alright, but my computer says it's unstable."

"That's why we're here. We need you to disconnect its containment unit so we can extract it and place it in the case. One of Fury's agents came in with a silver metal suitcase and opened it in front of the Tesseract. Fury walked toward it and carefully took it, placing it into the case.

"Come with us," said Fury. Tony looked at Pepper.

"Will you hold down the fort?" he said.

"You know I will." Tony put on his Iron Man suit and followed Nick Fury and his agents to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

When they arrived, the rest of the Avengers were waiting there; all except Thor and Emmeline. They were all gathered around the Tesseract's containment unit and Nick Fury inserted the Tesseract, making sure it was secure.

"The Tesseract is unstable," he told the Avengers. "We need to find out what is going on."

"Where's Hammer?" asked Tony, referring to Thor.

"Right here," said Thor, walking in. He wore a long brown cloak instead of his armor.

"What about Red?" Nobody said anything. Nick looked up from the Tesseract.

"No one has seen her?" he asked. Thor looked at Tony.

"Rogers? Romanoff? …Barton? I haven't seen her since Loki came for the Tesseract," said Tony.

"I thought she was staying with you," said Thor.

"I thought so too, but when she didn't, I thought…" The Avengers looked at each other, silent.

"Oh no," said Thor. "I know where she is."

"Loki?" asked Tony. Thor nodded.

"What are we going to do?" asked Natasha.

"Well we have to go get her!" said Tony.

"We have to have a plan," Thor said. "I don't know what Loki wants with Emmeline or what he intends to do with her, but he will expect us. We have to be careful." Tony spoke up.

"What's the deal? Let's just go in there and take her back!"

"We can't! We cannot afford to underestimate Loki's power!"

"Well we don't have time to sit here and think! He could have killed her already. No plan. Let's go."

"No!" said Thor. "Not yet."

* * *

Emmeline was not bored in Loki's glass room, because she was having a crisis. She couldn't deny it to herself anymore that she liked Loki. She didn't think of him as an enemy. She thought of him as misunderstood. And what was worse was that she almost wanted to help him. All he was to her was a son that felt inferior to his brother and wanted to prove to everyone that he could be just as good or even better. Sure, that would come with his taking over of Asgard and Earth, but to her, that didn't sound so bad. He wanted peace; his intentions were good.

But she knew that she must be wrong. Thor knew Loki better than her, and she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind the best she could. Loki was the enemy. But he was sweet too! He gave her a rabbit, he fed her and brought her blankets, and he hadn't hurt her at all. Emmeline was very mixed up.

Later that evening, Loki came into Emmeline's room to give her food and carrots for her rabbit.

"Loki, you said you liked me. Why?" Loki kept a serious expression.

"You have heart," he said. "You have heart and ambition. And I like that." He looked at her for a split second and then left. Emmeline sighed; she had figured it out. Loki was the enemy. He wanted to rule two worlds and have everyone kneel before him. But she didn't care. She liked him. His intentions were good in his eyes, and if she helped him and they did it right, peace would come as he said. Loki had been right all along; she did agree with him. But not with his plan.

Loki had not yet retrieved the Tesseract. He hadn't tried to. His plan was that he would get Emmeline angry at him; unlock the rage she possessed inside of her and manipulate it toward the Avengers. This way they would be busy fighting her and he could take the Tesseract and rule both worlds before they even knew what was going on. Then he would take his revenge on his brother. It was brilliant. And all he had to do was blow in the fire. Loki knew exactly how to do it, too. He found out certain things about her past from observing Thor and his Avengers. Loki's past was similar; therefore he knew she had the same rage he had. Such rage was easy to manipulate; easy to fall out of control and into the control of the antagonist.

When Loki went to Emmeline's room that afternoon, she was sitting in a chair, looking at him.

"You've been expecting me," he said, raising his eyebrows at her as he entered the room.

"Shouldn't I?" Emmeline stood up and walked over to him and Loki smiled mischievously.

"You see, a little Thunder God told me a story about you." Emmeline's facial expression became very serious. "Yes, a tragic story. A daughter, who loved her parents, and wanted to show them what wonders she was capable of. She just knew that they would be thrilled for what their daughter could do, and they would be proud of her for being such a success." Emmeline's expression changed to angry. Loki smiled. "But tragically, the parents of this child didn't see her powers as wondrous as she did. They saw them as dangerous and embarrassing. And oh, here is the sad part. I think you know it. Why don't you finish it?"

"What are you doing Loki?!" said Emmeline angrily. "Did you just come here to push my buttons? Why are you doing this?"

"Finish the story, Emmeline." She slapped him hard, and it forced him to hit the wall. He liked her even more; he was actually attracted to her. He looked at her sternly.

"Do you know what they did Emmeline?!" he said, raising his voice. His plan was working. "They drove out into the street and they dumped their little girl with nothing! Isn't that sad? And she waited there! She waited there for them to come back and take her home, but did they? No! They never came back for their daughter because they _didn't want her_!" Emmeline lost it. She forced her ice powers at him and froze his entire body except his head in position on the wall. He glared at her.

"You know what Loki?" she said, tears in her eyes. "That reminds me of a tragic story I know! It's different than yours, because yours has a happy ending. The little girl finds people like her that appreciate what she can do and encourages her to use it for good! But this story I'm about to tell is not happy. In this story, a little baby is born of a monster. And a great god comes and finds that baby; abandoned and outcast by its own kind, left to die. But the god takes the baby and raises it as his own, next to his own son that he favored above the monster's baby. The god thought that if he took the baby, it would unite the clans. And the god's real son grew up to be a great hero, big and strong! And the adopted baby grew up to be a puny bastard. The real son was greater, and loved by his father. And the adopted son was weak and thrown into prison by his adoptive father, while the real son was proclaimed king. The adopted son thought it was his birthright to be king," Emmeline stood so close to Loki, he could feel her breath on his neck. Loki was upset. She had turned the tables on him and become the antagonist. His plan had backfired. The memories of his "father" rushed back to him. He was not born of Odin; he was the son of a Frost Giant. He was a monster, taken to be a unity token and nothing more. The pain burned a scar in his heart, and he couldn't look at Emmeline as she whispered the end of her "story".

"…but his birthright was to _die_." Loki looked at her with rage and screamed as loud as he could. In his rage he burst the ice around his body and grabbed Emmeline by the neck, slamming her against the wall.

"It hurts, doesn't it?!" she said, trying her best to speak with Loki's hand around her neck. She tried to pull his arm back. "That's why you kill!" She used her powers to burn Loki's hand and he threw her down. She got up and stood in front of him, gritting her teeth. "Because with every man you kill, you feel it again. And you keep trying to feel it, because maybe if you feel it enough, it will go away. …But it won't, Loki. All the rejection and dishonor, all the hate and manipulation placed upon you in your life. All that pain won't go away no matter how many times you feel it. And you like this. You like me saying this to you, because it hurts you. My saying this to you makes you feel it again. But you like it, Loki. You're sensitive to everyone and everything but yourself. You can't feel anything because your heart is so broken and the pain is the only thing you can feel. You like to feel pain."

Loki didn't say anything; he couldn't say anything. He just looked at Emmeline in disbelief that she just said that to him. She looked back at him with a superior demeanor. There was power in her eyes.

"You're right," he said quietly. "And you're the only one that can break me."

Loki put his hand on the back of Emmeline's neck and kissed her with all the passion he had.

He had never felt this before. He had never felt passion or love for a woman. The only woman he had ever loved was his mother Frigga and that was entirely different from this. He felt like he wanted to pull Emmeline inside of him, he wanted her that close. Suddenly he felt some of the pain go away.

Loki let go of her and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he looked at her.

"Why did I do that?" he said. Emmeline looked at him intently.

"Just do it again," she said. Loki shrugged and smiled at her.

"Alright," he replied, and he kissed her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Loki let Emmeline out of the glass cage. Suddenly everything had changed. Loki sat on the floor in his room and looked at Emmeline, who was sitting on the floor and looking at him as well.

"I cannot use you to obtain the Tesseract anymore," said Loki. "What do you suppose I do with you?"

"What do you want to do with me?" asked Emmeline. Loki smiled at her.

"You can't answer my question with another question!" he said. Emmeline smirked at him.

"Loki, what are you feeling right now?"

"Right now?"

"Right this very minute. What do you feel?" Loki raised his chin, thinking.

"Honestly I don't know what it is I'm feeling. But it is nothing I've felt before. I like you. I more than like you. You are charming and lovely and so I must tell you what I know. I know why I kissed you. I know what I want. And I want you to stay." Loki looked at Emmeline with confidence hiding a secret feeling of nervousness, staring into her eyes for an answer. Emmeline smiled and leaned toward him.

"I love you Loki. And I want to help you get the Tesseract." Loki smiled bigger than he ever had in his whole life.

* * *

Thor had found Loki's location in Moscow. He knew his brother had Emmeline, and he was hoping with all his being that he didn't kill her already. Thor's intention was to talk to his brother. Then beat the crap out of him. Thor entered the stolen mansion and stood in the doorway.

"Loki!" Thor called loudly. "I know you're in here, brother!" Loki came downstairs with that same mischievous smile.

"Ah, Thor. How are you?"

"Loki, do not try small talk with me. You know what I came for." Loki approached his brother with his hands behind his back.

"I was simply starting a nice conversation," he said. "I do not have the Tesseract, if that is what you came for."

"No Loki. We have the Tesseract. I am surprised you haven't attempted to take it again."

"Oh, but I am scheming, brother."

"Give up Loki. Even if you do get the Tesseract, we will defeat your army. The people will not fall to you. A war will not fix anything brother."

"Brother, don't you see? The people will go to war anyway! That is what man craves! Every human being has a secret hunger for violence, and it is in their nature to slaughter one another! They need to be ruled Thor; they're meant for it. They need to be humbled. That is how you achieve peace."

"You're wrong, Loki! You will never be king!" Thor swung at Loki and Loki grabbed Thor by his neck.

"You dare to come here and insult me by your own accord," Loki whispered. "Leave here, now! Or I will kill you."

"I came for Emmeline, Loki," said Thor, pulling Loki's hand away from his neck. "I know you took her."

"Ah yes, I did take the girl with fire and ice," Loki replied. "But she is mine."

"Loki I am warning you. Give Emmeline back or I will be forced to call the Avengers and we will kill you." Loki raised his eyebrows.

"Alright Thor," he said. "I will go get her." Loki left the room and came back with Emmeline, dressed in a suit similar to Loki's. Emmeline gasped.

"Thor!" she exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you!" She threw her arms around him and Loki put his hand on her shoulder.

"Darling, you need to tell him," he said. Thor glared at Loki.

"Tell me what?" he said. Loki laughed.

"Oh, you're going to love this, brother," he said. "…Emmeline will not be going with you." Thor looked at Emmeline. She looked away.

"What have you done to her?!" yelled Thor. Loki put his hands up.

"Nothing, brother. This is by her will. See, watch." Loki put his fingers under Emmeline's chin and lightly licked her nose. Emmeline smiled at him, but quickly looked back at Thor. Thor was devastated. Certainly Loki must have done something to her, and how would he reverse it?

"Loki, can I talk to Thor alone?" asked Emmeline. Loki nodded and left the room, smirking at Thor. Emmeline turned back to Thor.

"Thor, just let me explain myself."

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing."

"Really? Nothing?"

"Look at my eyes, they're normal." Thor looked into her eyes, and they were still brown. Had Loki done anything to her, they would have turned the blue color of the Tesseract.

"I love him Thor," said Emmeline. "He's sweet, he's misunderstood, he's…broken. And I love him. I don't want to be an Avenger anymore." Thor couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I know you love him too," said Emmeline. "So surely you understand. You know, all he wants is to be great like you. He's always felt inferior to you and tried to live up to you. Your father—"

"—Loki always said that father favored me but it is not true! Loki does not need to prove himself to him!"

"I know. He wants to prove himself to your father, your mother, even you. But mostly _himself_. He needs to believe that he's worth something, that he can do good for someone. Don't you see, Thor? His whole life, people have put him down, told him he was wrong. And maybe he was, but nobody would build him up. I want to be that person. He needs to be king, Thor. He'll bring peace; he intends to. He isn't evil. All he is trying to do is make his family proud of him…make everyone proud of him."

"No he will not! Do you honestly think that if Loki wages war on the world it will result in peace? Certainly you do not agree with him! Don't let him turn you into his slave, Emmeline!" Thor was getting angry.

"He won't! Thor, why can't you respect my decision? I'm done being an Avenger and I want to help Loki! He will be king, as he was born to!" Thor let his anger get the best of him and he swung his fist at Emmeline, but it was caught swiftly by Loki, who had stepped in at just the right time.

"Don't you _dare_," said Loki through gritted teeth. "If you hurt her, I will kill you immediately." Thor looked intently at Loki.

"Do you love her?" he asked. Loki looked straight into his eyes.

"Yes," he replied. He slowly let go of Thor and backed up to Emmeline. "Go, Thor."

"I will ask you for the last time," Thor said. "Come home, Loki. To father, to mother."

"He is not my father! I am not his stolen peace offering. I know what I am, Thor! I am a king! When I come home I will be sitting on the throne of Asgard!" Thor looked at Emmeline. She said nothing.

"I see," said Thor finally, and gave Loki and Emmeline one last look as he left. Loki turned around and left the room, but Emmeline ran up to Thor and grabbed his shoulder.

"I know it's not smart; he's a criminal, I know. He kills and lies and schemes, but…I love him."

"I know," said Thor. "And I can see he loves you. If it means anything, this is the first time I've seen him love anyone but our mother."

"He loves you," replied Emmeline, smiling. Thor looked down. "He does, Thor. You have to believe it. He's told you, hasn't he?"

"The last time he told me, he sabotaged my coronation," said Thor.

"He does though. He can't help what he is." Thor hugged Emmeline.  
"I wish you well Emmeline," he said. Emmeline smiled and nodded to him.

"Same to you," she said, turning around and walking away, back to his brother.

* * *

"What do you mean she's not coming back?!" yelled Iron Man. He was enraged and upset. "Did you even try to take her back?! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you to fix anything! I'm going down there myself! He probably put a spell on her or something!"

"He didn't!" yelled Thor. "I checked. And she explained everything to me. She doesn't want to come back. She loves my brother, and he loves her. There's nothing I can do." Tony let out a sigh of disbelief.

"But I…we can't just let her go, just like that! He'll betray her, he'll kill her!"

"I know what you all think of him and I know killing is a great part of his past, but I know my brother and I know he loves her. He wouldn't kill her. If she betrayed him, however, I don't know what he would do. His anger drives him and it takes over easily."

"But she wants to help him? _Help_ him?! He's a psychopath! And won't she have to fight us, I just don't understand! Are you sure it isn't Stockholm's Syndrome?" Tony sat down and was silent for a moment. Surely there must have been a mistake. He had such high hopes for Emmeline.

"I'm sorry Metal Man. I know how you feel; I feel the same." Tony sighed.

"It's Iron Man," he said nonchalantly, giving up on Thor getting it right. "Does Fury know?"

"No. I haven't told him. You all are the only ones that know. The only one who isn't here is Hulk."

"We can't tell Banner," said the Black Widow. "He'll lose it."

"He'll have to find out eventually," said Tony. "It will be worse if he finds out by himself. Maybe we can ease him into it."

"Ease me into what?" asked Dr. Bruce Banner, walking into the room at the worst time possible.

"Well crap, we have to tell him now," said Tony.

"You guys, come on. What is it?"

"Okay, Bruce you have to keep calm okay?" said the Black Widow.

"Oh no, it's bad news?" he said, wincing. The Black Widow nodded.

"Okay, um. Let me drink this water and sit down. I'm going to try my best," he said. He took a drink of water and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. "Alright."

"Thor, you tell him," said the Black Widow. Thor approached Banner.

"Emmeline…doesn't want to be an Avenger anymore," said Thor. "She fell in love with my brother. She really did; he didn't erase her mind or anything. She explained everything. And…Loki loves her too."

Dr. Banner took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Tony could tell he was trying to fight it. The Hulk wanted to come back. Banner flinched and closed his eyes, trying so hard to keep calm. His veins were throbbing green. Thor put his hand on Banner's shoulder.

"Doctor, it's okay," he said. "We can even go talk to her if you want. You don't need to get angry." Banner breathed hard and eventually took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles.

"I'm okay," he said. "I'm okay."

"I'm going to go talk to her," said Tony.

"No Stark, she'll just tell you the same thing she told Thor," said the Black Widow. Tony picked up his coat and walked to the doorway. He turned around.

"I need closure," he said. He walked out, leaving the rest of the Avengers silent in the meeting room.

* * *

"Where is the Tesseract?!" hissed the Chitauri commander in Loki's ear. Loki's scepter had teleported him to Asgard, in the Chitauri realm. He used it to equip his golden armor as soon as the saw the Chitaur commander. "You said you would have it! Do you want our army or not?!"

"I will get it when I get it!" snapped Loki. "You have no way of obtaining it yourselves; therefore you are at my mercy. I will give you the Tesseract when I have taken it into my possession."

"Our offer is running out of time," said the commander. Loki glared at him.

"I will give it to you when I give it to you!" he snapped again, and the Chitauri commander put his hand on Loki's neck.

"You better hope you do, or else my army will come for you, and we will shatter every bone in your body!" The Chitauri commander swung at Loki, but he used his scepter to teleport himself back to Earth and to remove his armor.

"Mewling quim," said Loki to himself. He wanted to find Emmeline. He walked through the halls of his stolen mansion and found her in the study room, setting things ablaze and freezing them back.

"Your power is alluring when you manipulate it like that," said Loki, walking into the room.

"You love manipulation don't you?" she asked, smiling.

"Oh yes, I love it. Mmm, you look ravishing." Emmeline unfroze a cushion on the floor and walked over to him. She put her hand on his neck.

"You wish," she said, breathing on him. She walked out and Loki looked back.

"Damn you," he said, smiling and letting out a breath. Emmeline smiled at him and started to walk away.

"Wait," said Loki, with an earnest expression forming on his face. Emmeline turned back to him and he walked up to her.

"I have a lingering question for you," he said. "…Do you really love me? Truly?" Emmeline gave him a confused look.

"Loki, of course!" Loki looked down and back up at her.

"Why?"

"Because I see through the anger. I see the son injured by his father's lie. I see a man that is sensitive and wanting so much to prove himself. I see _you_ Loki. And I can't help but love you." Loki looked at her sadly, with tears welling up in his eyes. He slowly put his arms around Emmeline and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I love you," he said. Suddenly, a beam hit Loki and he was blasted to the other side of the hall. He sat up, stunned, and looked with surprise at his attacker. Emmeline looked in the same direction, to see Iron Man. He extended his hand to blast Loki again. Emmeline froze it.

"Tony stop! What are you doing?!" she yelled angrily. Tony's iron mask retracted, revealing his face.

"Trying to knock some sense into you!" he said.

"Well then knock it into me, not Loki!" Loki got up and ran back to Emmeline's side.

"What do you want, you sniveling pillock?!" said Loki, harshly. "You know what, I don't care." Loki swung at Iron Man but he blasted him again into a window, glass breaking and cutting into his skin. Loki quickly retrieved his Chitauri scepter from the next room and created an illusion of himself in front of Iron Man. When he tried to swing at him, Loki brought him to the ground with his scepter. He was about to stab him and kill him, but Emmeline froze Loki's scepter and Iron Man in place.

"Loki, don't." Loki sighed in frustration and looked down at Iron Man.

"Take note of how easy it was for me to get you down. Get out of here," said Loki. "And you should pray never to see me again, because when you do, I _will_ kill you."

"I want Mrs. Hot and Cold back!" said Iron Man.

"How many times do I have to tell you no?!" yelled Emmeline. "I've already talked to Thor, and that's it! Get out of here Tony, before you get hurt. I've just saved your life, and you can thank me by leaving. I'm sorry." Iron Man looked at her with horror. Emmeline unfroze him and stared at him to leave. Iron Man gave her one last look, full of sorrow, and turned around, leaving. Emmeline sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Why does this have to be so hard?" she said. Loki put his hand on her neck and looked at her with sweetness. She grinned and kissed him. She let him place his arms around her and she put hers on his chest. Loki loved kissing her. He hadn't kissed a lot of women in his life. He busied himself with thoughts of taking the throne and world domination. In fact, he'd never even loved a woman. Not this way. He loved his mother Frigga, but that was different.

Loki caressed Emmeline's figure and kissed her for a long time, their mouths coordinating together with every movement. He let go of her and smiled.

"I can just see us," he said. "Ruling the world together. All the people of Earth and Asgard kneeling before you and me. You will make a lovely queen."

"Oh Loki I love you," said Emmeline, kissing him again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"LOKI!" screeched Emmeline from the bathroom. She was sitting in a bubble bath with a glass of champagne and she had something so important to tell him, that no, it couldn't have waited until she was done. Loki entered.

"Oh," he said, and smiled. "You called?"

"Yes I did," said Emmeline, raising her leg out of the water and crossing it over her other one. Loki licked his lips and grinned at her.

"My God, what is it?" he said excitedly. Emmeline widened her eyes in excitement.

"I have been scheming—as you have—for a plan of stealing the Tesseract, and I have something that is perfect."

"Do you? Oh, that's marvelous!" he said.

"We're going to need a car, a briefcase, and a whole lot of lies."

"I have many of those," Loki said, smiling. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and Emmeline looked at him.

"You want to come in with me?"

"I was just waiting for you to ask that," said Loki.

* * *

The Tesseract was still unstable, and it was getting worse. The staff of S.H.I.E.L.D. was afraid it would alter the atmosphere with its intense energy levels. Dr. Bruce Banner was assigned to study the Tesseract and find out how to stabilize it. Banner and Stark were in the S.H.I.E.L.D. experiment room watching the Tesseract and tracking Loki. Thor was visiting Jane Foster, his girlfriend who lived on Earth. Agents Barton and Romanoff were in a meeting with Nick Fury and Captain America was in a training session, so Stark and Banner were alone with the Tesseract.

"I know why it's unstable," said Banner.

"Why?"

"There's tension. Emmeline…she has everyone upset and irritable and there's a lot of tension between us. If we don't keep it down, the Tesseract could wipe out the planet."

"How do we do that? I'm pretty mad," said Stark.

"Walk it off." Stark smirked at him. He glanced back at his supercomputer.

"Uh oh," he said. "The levels are rising. We have to keep it contained." The Tesseract glowed brighter and spun in its containment unit, shaking faster and faster.

"Should we call Fury?" asked Banner.

"Does he know what to do?"

Suddenly, Banner saw a thin sheet of ice slowly form on the floor, originating from the stairs.

"Stark…"

"Oh look what you have done to the Tesseract," said Loki, walking in from the stairs. Emmeline was beside him, slowly freezing the room. "You have increased its energy. Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I need it."

Stark started at Loki, but he blasted him to the other side of the room with his scepter.

"Ah, we meet again old friend," said Loki. Dr. Banner began to feel it again. The anger, the heat…the Hulk. Stark looked over at him.

"Don't do it Doc; fight it off," he said. "Take deep breaths." Banner tried to keep it under control but Emmeline walked up to him.

"I'm sorry Doctor," she said. "I didn't mean for it to be this way."

"Why did you?" he asked. Emmeline burst into tears and ran to the corner. Banner followed her and Stark was still wrestling with Loki.

"You can come back," said Banner.

"I wish I could," she said. Emmeline looked really upset. Loki looked over at her and so did Stark.

"Enjoying your betrayal, Red?" he asked.

"Shut up!" she cried.

"I think she really wants to come back," said Banner. Stark walked over to Emmeline and as soon as he did, she turned around and froze both of them in place. Emmeline had been lying. This made Dr. Banner angry, but he kept it under control. Loki smiled.

"Sorry boys," she said. "We need the cube." Loki took out a suitcase and grabbed the Tesseract.

"No!" said Stark. "Okay Doc, remember when I said not to turn into a big green monster? Well I lied!"

"No," said Banner. "It's what they want. I'll destroy S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But they're going to—"

"—I won't be able to stop them. We need to think of another plan." Loki closed the suitcase holding the Tesseract and walked over to Emmeline.

"Look at your marvelous work," he said. She kissed him.

"So long," she said to Banner and Stark. She put her hands over the computer and set it on fire.

"No!" said Stark. Banner sat there, feeling helpless. But he was planning.

* * *

Emmeline and Loki drove in their getaway car that they had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D. Emmeline was behind the wheel.

"I love you so much!" said Loki, kissing her as she drove. Emmeline saw other S.H.I.E.L.D. cars from her rearview mirror.

"Fury's agents are after us," she said. Loki leaned out the window with his scepter and started blasting them. Emmeline drove faster, but she knew they wouldn't lose them.

"Loki, use the Tesseract to get to the Chitauri realm!" said Emmeline. "Use it now! I'll hold them off!" Loki ducked back in the car and Emmeline leaned out, blasting them with fire and ice. She quickly hit the auto drive button and climbed on top of the car. She kept them at a distance with her fire bombs, and soon Loki called out to her.

"I can't now, you need to heat it!"

She ducked into the window and heated the Tesseract. It was taking a while. Loki looked through the window.

"Hurry," he said. Emmeline tried with all her might and as soon as they made a portal, Agent Barton had caught up to them. Loki took Emmeline's hand as they quickly dived through the portal.

* * *

"You've brought a mortal with you?" was the first thing the Chitauri commander said to Loki. Emmeline looked around her. It was dark and gray, and there was nothing but tall rocks as far as the eye could see.

"I've brought more than that," Loki said, revealing the Tesseract.

"The Tesseract! Finally you have brought it. The Chitauri were becoming impatient."

"Do you have my army?" said Loki.

"Yes," said the commander. "They will go with you to Earth and wage war with the humans. They are under your command." Loki smiled and held out the Tesseract to the Chitauri commander.

"Yes! Yes! The Chitauri have the Tesseract!" screamed the commander, holding it up. "And we will tear Asgard apart, ravage their city and destroy their people!"

"What?" said Loki.

"Enjoy your army," said the commander. "The humans have their king."

The Chitauri commander used the Tesseract to transport Emmeline and Loki back to Earth, in the Moscow house. Emmeline slapped Loki.

"Ow!"

"Loki, you piece of shit! They are going to kill all your people! I thought you wanted peace!"

"This wasn't my intention! I thought the Chitauri needed the Tesseract as a power source for their city; I didn't know they wanted to take over Asgard! That's what _I_ wanted to do! Now I have no use for their army."

"What are you going to do?" Loki sighed.

"I don't know."

"We have to fight them."

"We don't have an army. I cannot use their army to fight their own kind."

"Well you can't use them to take over the world either, that doesn't matter anymore!"

"Earth will have to wait," said Loki.

"You need to warn your father," said Emmeline.

"Are you mad? I cannot go back to Asgard without getting imprisoned. Odin will not listen to me, and I am the one that caused it anyway." Emmeline gave Loki a look.

"You know what you have to do," she said, looking at him.

"What? …No. No Emmeline, I can't! He would never help me! I will not!"

"He loves you Loki. He will help you. He loves Odin and Frigga and Asgard. If you tell him, he will help."

"But it is my fault. He will have me imprisoned!"

"The way I see it Loki, there are two choices. One: Asgard gets destroyed, everyone dies, and you get to lose everyone you've ever cared about. Or two: you ask for Thor's help, save Asgard, and possibly avoid imprisonment by becoming a hero. Look at it this way, if you save Asgard, they will _want_ you as their king."

"Ah, that could be a possibility," said Loki. "But I cannot go to Thor."

"Why not? Are you afraid he'll take the credit, or that he won't help you?"

"It will just be another opportunity to show Odin how much greater he is. Thor will be the one saving Asgard."

"But he wouldn't if it wasn't for you, Loki. Odin will see that."

"Odin doesn't see anything."

"Loki you have to do it. For me. For Odin. For Asgard. Be a hero. You put a hard shell over it, but I know you love your father and mother and the people of Asgard. I know you love Thor. You won't let them be destroyed. But you need to understand that they love you too, Loki. You have to believe that." Emmeline saw tears well up in Loki's eyes and he turned away from her.

"I will summon Thor."

* * *

Loki and Emmeline knew that if they went back to S.H.I.E.L.D. there would be agents ready to shoot them on sight, so Loki created an illusion and shape shifted into Jane Foster.

"He'll follow this woman anywhere," he told Emmeline. I will bring him outside away from this location, and you stand here to meet me." Emmeline nodded. Loki ran off, acting as if something was wrong, so Thor would follow Jane.

When Loki approached the front door, he knocked urgently and called out for Thor in the voice of Jane. His brother rushed to the door and embraced what he thought was Jane.

"Please, Thor you have to help me! Please!"

"Jane, what is it?" said Thor. Loki started running.

"This way, come on!" Thor ran after him and Loki stopped when he got to Emmeline.

"Emmeline? What…" said Thor. Loki transformed back into himself. "Loki! Brother, that was cruel!"

"Do you expect anything else of me?" asked Loki. Emmeline elbowed him.

"I know," he said to her. Thor raised his hammer.

"Thor please," said Emmeline. "We come in peace." Thor slowly lowered his hammer.

"What have you come for?"

"I've done something," said Loki. "And it's not good."

"That is nothing out of the ordinary," said Thor.

"I know, but this time it was an accident—of the sort. You know I stole the Tesseract."

"Yes, and I am going to beat you for that," said Thor.

"Well I gave it to the Chitauri in exchange for their army, thinking they needed it as a power source, but in reality they intend to use it to take over Asgard and ravage the planet, kill everyone." Thor widened his eyes and grabbed Loki by the neck. He swung his hammer in a circle and Emmeline tried to get to him.

"Stay here," Thor ordered her, and let his hammer lead him and Loki to a forest. Thor slammed Loki against a tree.

"Brother what have you done?!" he screamed. He swung at Loki with his hammer, but Loki ducked and punched Thor in the face.

"I didn't know!"

"You're smarter than that, Loki!"

"Thor, you know it was my plan to take over Asgard! But the Chitauri are coming, and they will kill everyone you care about! Mother, Father, Volstagg, Sif! We can't let that happen! I am being sincere."

"You cannot be sincere! Loki, stop doing this to me! I am sick of your lies."

"I am not lying! Thor, our planet is in trouble! And I can't save it by myself! I can't go back to Asgard because this is my fault!" Tears welled up in Loki's eyes as he screamed at Thor. Thor lowered his hammer and looked at Loki.

"You are telling the truth?" Loki just looked at Thor, trying, but not knowing how he could prove his sincerity.

"I…need your help," said Loki, finally. "You know if I was lying I wouldn't ask you. Go and ask Odin. The Chitauri have probably already invaded."

Loki could tell Thor believed him, and his expression changed to upset.

"You are a fool!" screamed Thor, throwing a punch at Loki. He knocked Loki into a tree, scraping the side of his face, and Loki grabbed his fist at the next punch. He took out a dagger from his pocket and jammed it into Thor's upper leg. He pulled it out and Thor gasped in pain.

"Don't start with me brother," said Loki. "Are you going to help me or not? Asgard is in trouble, and I will find a way to keep it alive with or without you." Thor glared at Loki.

"I will help you," said Thor. "But after this is over, you will go to prison for what you have done." Loki said nothing. He knew that he would. But he loved Frigga and even Odin, as much as he was angry at him, and he would not let his own people die. Loki thought war was essential to peace, but that is not what the Chitauri wanted. They wanted to wipe out the people of Asgard.

Thor and Loki said nothing to each other as they began walking back to where they left Emmeline, both of them bleeding. As they walked, Loki shoved Thor slightly, just for fun. Thor shoved him back. This went on for a couple more steps, and they both laughed, it was quite fun.

"I knew my brother was still in there," said Thor. Loki looked at him.

"We must work together for this," he said.

When they made it back, Emmeline rushed to Loki and kissed him. It took Loki by surprise, but he kissed her back and she put her hands on his face. She ran her fingers along the deep cut on Loki's face and he gasped quickly.

"You're hurt!" she said. "Thor, what did you do to him?"

"It's alright darling, I stabbed him," said Loki.

"You both are going to have to get along if you want to save Asgard."

* * *

That night, Emmeline was pressing a cold wet washcloth on Loki's wounds from when Thor beat him up. Loki sat on the floor in the living room, leaning against the wall with his shirt off. He had bruises on his sides and cuts on his face. He had a couple scratches on his shoulders from his green suit scratching him when Thor slammed him into a tree. Emmeline pressed the rag on his shoulders and he flinched.

"Ah!" he said.

"Sorry," said Emmeline. "Why do you two fight so much? You really hurt each other."

"It's all in good fun. And hatred."

"You don't hate him. And he doesn't hate you either." Loki looked at Emmeline and then at the ground.

"Yes he does."

"No he doesn't Loki. I know for a fact that he loves you. He told me." Loki mustered a smile.

"Well if I ever say anything like that, you better not go and tell him," he said. Emmeline smirked at him. Loki put his hand on her back and pulled her close to him. He pushed her to his chest and she could feel his heartbeat. Loki closed his eyes and put his forehead to hers. She felt his breath on her face and their lips met.

"I am going to miss you," whispered Loki. Emmeline opened her eyes and sat up.

"What?"

"I have to go to Asgard and fight alongside Thor. You cannot come with me; you are a mortal."

Emmeline had not thought about the fact that when Loki and Thor went to Asgard, she couldn't go. Mortals were not allowed in any other realm but Earth, so Loki had to leave her and fight the war himself with Thor. This bothered Emmeline. She wanted so much to help Loki and Thor, save Asgard…make sure Loki was safe. She knew he could take care of himself; he had so much power, but she still worried about him.

"How long?" asked Emmeline.

"I don't know," Loki replied. "But Thor and I will go tomorrow." Loki ran his fingers through Emmeline's curls. "You are the only one who truly understands me, Emmeline." Emmeline leaned on Loki's chest.

"I don't want to be here alone," she said.

"You're not alone," said Loki.

* * *

"Wait, so we're giving up?" said Agent Romanoff. Thor had called a meeting for all the Avengers so he could tell them what was going on.

"No, we don't need to worry over Loki anymore. Earth is no longer in danger. My brother and I are leaving for Asgard this evening."

"Wait, he's _helping_ you?"

"He gave the Tesseract to the Chitauri, and they turned against him and are waging war on Asgard. He asked for my help."

"Are you sure it isn't a trick?" asked Tony Stark.

"I checked with my father last night. It isn't. Loki is a villain, and he is known for telling elaborate lies, but he cares for Asgard. He cares for father and mother. So we are working together to save it. You no longer have to fight against him for the fate of your planet."

"Well, I'd say that's pretty awesome," said Captain America.

"What about Emmeline?" asked Agent Barton.

"I guess she shall stay. She cannot go to Asgard; she's a mortal. But I must say goodbye to you all for now," said Thor. Natasha hugged him and then so did the others.

"Good luck," said Dr. Banner. Thor smiled at them and left to meet his brother. Loki was waiting for him outside. He had red circles around his eyes as if he had been crying, but he tried to smile at Thor.

"Brother, what's the matter?" asked Thor.

"Nothing," said Loki hastily. "I'm fine. Emmeline was despairing that I had to leave her and…" he trailed off. Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder to sympathize.

"Can you call on Heimdall to get us up there?" asked Loki.

"I think so. Heimdall will see us and tell father." Thor looked up to the sky and yelled Heimdall's name.

"Heimdall it's urgent!" yelled Loki. "Asgard is in danger!" Just then, a portal appeared in front of them. Thor and Loki smiled at each other and stood under it to be taken to Asgard.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Do you realize what you've done?!" screamed Odin to Loki. Loki stood in front of his throne in chains. This did not go at all how Loki thought it would. He thought they would save Asgard first and then he would go to prison. But no, he was going to prison _now_, and he was not allowed to aid in the salvation of his planet.

"Yes, and that's why I'm trying to fix it!" Loki yelled back.

"Don't play dumb with me!" said Odin. "You are sentenced to the rest of your life in prison, and you are never allowed back to Earth again!"

"Emmeline," mumbled Loki to himself. "Father please, I can help, I—"

"—We've had enough of your 'help'. You will betray Asgard as easily as you do everyone else. I tried to teach you Loki. But you don't listen." Loki looked back at Frigga, who was standing in the corner of the throne room. She had tears in her eyes.

"Odin—" she started to say, but Odin held his hand up.

"I can no longer trust you Loki," he said. "I should have left you in Jotunheim."

"Odin!" scolded Frigga, trying to get to her son. The guards blocked her.

"I wish you would have!" screamed Loki, tears in his eyes. Odin sat watching him as the guards took him away to his cell.

The Asgardian prison looked like an asylum. Every cell had a big window in which you could see the entire room. The cells were nice; they had furniture and carpet as if they were living rooms in a house, much nicer than Earth prison, but it was still prison. The guards took off Loki's chains and locked him in his cell, where he was supposed to spend the rest of his life.

Loki sat down on the bed. He felt helpless for the first time.

Days passed and Loki spent his time thinking about Emmeline and reading the books Frigga was sending him. Loki did love his mother. She was the only one who supported him and loved him throughout everything. He missed her. He missed Emmeline. Prison was very lonely.

Loki wondered about Thor. How was he to fight the war by himself? Did he even know where Loki was? He hadn't come to visit. He had probably planned this to happen. He said he would help Loki just to get him into Asgard so Odin could throw him in prison. Loki felt like a fool for trusting his brother.

* * *

On the fourth day Loki had been in prison he was sitting on his bed, bored out of his mind, when he heard the bolted door open. Loki sat up and looked toward the door to see his mother come through. She shut it behind her and smiled at Loki. He kept his blank expression.

"Hello mother," said Loki. "Why have you come? Is it to say goodbye?"

"Loki, please," said Frigga. "I simply came to talk to you."

"I'm listening," Loki said.

"Have you been reading the books I sent you?"

"A bit, but I cannot read books for eternity," Loki replied. Frigga sighed.

"Loki, you know your father—"

"—He's not my father!"

"He just wants you to be safe."

"Oh mother, are you really so blind? He assumes I have betrayed Asgard."

"But are you above it? How do you expect him to trust you after what happened at Thor's coronation? After I made you king in his place?"

"I don't."

"Loki, I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but you cannot expect to receive trust from Odin when you have repeatedly proven yourself as a traitor."

"I don't expect trust!" yelled Loki, widening his eyes at Frigga.

"Then what do you expect? You—"

"—You don't know what it's like," said Loki. "To be hated; to have been lied to your entire life. You don't know what it's like to believe that somebody cared about you only to find out you were abandoned and only taken to end a war. I don't expect anything of Odin anymore." Frigga gave Loki a sad look.

"Oh Loki, you must know that he loves you—"

"—HE DOES NOT LOVE ME!" Loki screamed at the top of his lungs. He looked at Frigga as he sighed and his angry expression turned to sorrow. Frigga looked back at him lovingly and put her hands on Loki's face. Loki looked at the floor.

"You are my son, Loki. I love you. I just want your life to be good. But for that, you have to realize and accept what you have done, and forgive those who have hurt you. I just want you to be happy."

"I know mother," said Loki softly. "But that is a lost cause." He looked back up at Frigga and she hugged him.

"Be good," she told him. "And think about what I have said." Frigga smiled at Loki and left the room, leaving him to think.

* * *

The war had started. The Chitauri invaded Asgard with their strongest forces, and Thor's mission was to gather his warriors. His front men were the Warriors Three, who were also his friends, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun. Lady Sif, also a warrior, volunteered to accompany Thor into battle.

Thor heard that Loki had been imprisoned. Thor hadn't planned it, but it was no surprise to him. In fact, he suspected that Odin would throw Loki in prison after finding out what he had done, but not before the war. Thor decided to plead with his father to let Loki help them.

"You know the ways of your brother, Thor," said Odin. "He will betray you."

"But father, he—" Odin raised his hand.

"I know what I'm doing," he said.

"He really didn't mean for this war to come about," said Thor. "He cares about the people of Asgard." Odin said nothing, but just looked at his son, as if to finalize his decision. Thor knew he would get nowhere.

Knowing Loki, he would believe that Thor had intended to imprison him immediately all along. That was why Thor postponed his visit to his brother. He didn't know how he was going to explain to Loki why he let this happen. Thor also had to tell Emmeline. Loki wasn't going to get out of the Asgardian prison, and Emmeline needed to know that he wasn't coming back. But Thor decided that he would tell her that after the war was over.

Sif and the Warriors Three stood in front of Thor, waiting for a command.

"We need the palace surrounded," said Thor. "Then we will lead the army into battle."

"Yes sir," said Sif, and all four of them left. Thor turned around and Odin stood with a silver helmet. He held it out to Thor.

"You will be a wise leader," said Odin. Thor walked up to him and took the helmet.

"Thank you father," he said. "Are you sure Loki cannot fight?"

"He is in his place. Go; win for Asgard. Win for Loki." Thor smiled at his father.

"I will," he said. Thor put the helmet on and went to meet his army.

Sif and the Warriors Three met Thor on the battlefield quickly.

"They're coming in hundreds," said Sif. Thor looked around him. Chitauri were everywhere. Their machines and ships were coming fast, and people were being slain quickly.

"Let us not waste time," said Thor, swinging Mjolnir at a Chitauri soldier. The fight was bloody. Thor slew one Chitauri after another, blood splattering his face. He could see Sif and Fandral covering his back, and Volstagg was left forward. Hogun was on a Chitauri whale, trying to beat it out of the sky. The rest of Thor's army were fighting with Chitauri soldiers on the battleground. As Thor wiped out Chitauri soldiers, he occasionally looked back at the palace to make sure none were invading it.

In a flash, a Chitauri soldier jumped on Thor's back and brought a knife to his neck, but Thor flipped the soldier onto the ground. The soldier hit Thor with his blaster, causing his mouth to swell. Thor tasted blood, disgusted at the metallic flavor. He spit at the soldier and pounded him with Mjolnir. The soldier's blood spewed out of him, making a squishing sound. The sound of war was all around Thor; the clanging of swords, the splashing of blood, the yelling of soldiers. The battlefield smelled of sweat and iron. Thor saw even more Chitauri coming. He wouldn't be able to hold them off from the palace.

As soon as another soldier came at Thor, he swung Mjolnir at him and called to Sif.

"Can you hold it?" he yelled. "I have to fight from the palace!" Sif stabbed a soldier and elbowed another in the face.

"Yes, but hurry!" she yelled, still taking down Chitauri. Thor ran to the palace doors, knocking down any Chitauri he saw with his hammer. Swinging Mjolnir at the Chitauri was doing no good; there were many. Thor tried, but he couldn't keep several Chitauri from entering the palace. As he was swinging at them he called out to his parents:

"Father! Mother! Run!" Suddenly Odin came out the palace doors and started battling the Chitauri soldiers with Thor.

"There's too many," said Odin. "End it!"

"Are you sure? It will ruin the land—"

"End it!" yelled Odin. Thor ran as fast as he could to the thick of the fight, in the middle of the battlefield. Chitauri were jumping on his back and weighing him down; he could feel the bruises as they pounded on him. He aimed Mjolnir up to the sky and summoned lightning. He used all his power to strike the ground with Mjolnir, and the ground shook. All the Chitauri in sight fell to the ground dead; electrocuted.

The few remaining soldiers retreated with the whales in the sky, and Thor stood in the battlefield, feeling the pain of the scratches on his face, aware of the blood dripping from his head. Sore and breathing heavily, he made his way back to the palace doors to Odin.

"They have retreated," he said, out of breath.

"The war isn't over," said Odin. "They will be back."

"I know."

Thor and Odin turned around to enter the palace. A guard approached them quickly, in a panic.

"Your majesty, the queen…please help." Thor and Odin followed the guard into the sitting room, where Thor dropped to his knees at the sight of his mother on the floor, bleeding out. Odin stopped in his tracks.

Thor didn't try to fight the tears streaming down his face. He looked at the guard.

"Is she dead?" he asked, even though he already knew.

"I'm sorry your majesty. The Chitauri came…I tried to stop it." Odin walked slowly over to Frigga, lying on the ground, and kneeled down to her. He gently brushed her golden hair out of her face and touched her cheek.

"Frigga," he said. Thor got up.

"No," he said. "NO!"

* * *

Frigga's funeral was short and respectful. Odin sent her down the river, where Thor knew there was a waterfall at the end. Loki did not attend. He wasn't allowed since he was in prison. Thor deeply regretted it. He knew Loki loved Frigga. To Loki, Frigga was his real mother. But Thor couldn't bring himself to tell Loki, so he sent a guard.

The palace was silent, stricken with grief. Everyone was mourning the loss of their queen. Thor and Odin were too, but they knew they had to prepare for the war still to come. Thor was sitting in Frigga's room, wondering how this would all work out, and he heard Loki scream loudly, full of sorrow, all the way from the prison. Thor knew it was time to visit his brother.

The next day, Thor went to the Asgardian prison to visit Loki. He was shocked at what he saw. Loki's cell had been ravaged; everything was broken or shattered, and Loki was sitting against the wall in the back of the room. He looked sick. He looked like a version of his brother Thor had never seen before. Loki was wearing a green corduroy shirt and black sweat pants, and his hair, usually slicked back, was let down in his face and it was wavy and messy. There were dark purple circles around his eyes and bloody scratches and gashes all over Loki's arms and legs.

"Look who decided to show up," said Loki, not moving from his position. "What brings you here, brother? Have you come to mock me? Or to apologize?"

"No Loki," I came here to say that I did not put you here. I pleaded with father, but he won't change his mind." Loki managed a weak smile that was barely there.

"I know," he said. "Tell me…did she suffer? Was she in great pain or did she go peacefully?"

"Loki please—"

"—I deserve to know, Thor!" Loki walked on his knees to the window Thor was looking through.

"Tell me all about how you didn't do anything to save her!"

"I couldn't have done anything, I was fighting the Chitauri! What about you, you didn't save her either!"

"Because I'm stuck in here! Who brought me here? If it wasn't for you, Frigga wouldn't be dead!" Loki turned away from Thor, and Thor knew it was because he didn't want his brother to see his tears.

"Loki…once we win a victory over the Chitauri, we can avenge our mother and bring her honor. Frigga will not have died in vain."

"I hope we lose! A victory will mean nothing now," Loki replied. "There is no one left to protect." This offended Thor.

"How could you say that brother? What about the people of Asgard?"

"I never cared about them, you fool." Thor glared at his brother.

"I should have never trusted you," he said. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." At this point, Loki was leaning against the corner, and turned to Thor, flashing him another weak smile.

"You would like to, wouldn't you brother?" he said.

"Loki, we need this victory to avenge our mother. To save father and the people of Asgard; to save you and me.

"No! Don't you see? Everything we love we will eventually destroy! And e-e-everything we think we know will turn out to be a lie! You want truth, there is no truth! There are only lies and destruction. Everything dies, Thor, and when we are the only ones left, so will we. Nobody is innocent, not even you. Nothing ever ends but at the same time everything does. So go ahead and kill me, brother. You will be showing me mercy."

"I will not kill you Loki, you are my brother. I am grieving over mother too, but she wouldn't want you to feel this way." Loki turned away, looking sad and angry.

"It doesn't matter what she would want anymore." Loki said, looking away so his brother wouldn't see the tears running down his face. "Who killed her?"

"Loki—"

"—WHO KILLED HER, THOR? I won't rest until I have set stone after stone on their backs and all their blood runs into the river! They will pay for what they have done!" Loki banged his fist on the glass and sat back down, stricken with grief and pain.

"The Chitauri invaded the palace," Thor replied.

"Oh how I wish I could fight this war." Thor realized Loki was blaming himself for Frigga's death. He acted like he was blaming Thor, but he could see it in his face that Loki thought it was his fault.

"We will all miss her, Loki."

"That is no consolation to me. You do not understand Thor. She was one of two people in this world that didn't think themselves above me; that didn't hate me."

"I don't hate you Loki."

"You don't have to lie to me brother. You are above that. ...Is Emmeline alright?"

"I believe so," Thor replied.

"Keep her safe. I mean it, Thor. Of all the people in this world I will kill anyone, but I will not see a scratch on that woman. …Does she know where I am?"

"No."

"Don't tell her."


	6. Chapter 6

**(Author's Note: Everybody thanks so much for reading my story! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! It means so much to know if people like my story and any questions/suggestions you may have. So thank you and enjoy this chapter! I just love Loki in this one... :)**

Chapter 6

Emmeline missed Loki terribly. He had been gone for over a week, and three days after he left, bad things began happening. At the moment, Emmeline was standing on top of Stark tower in New York, blasting fire at Chitauri soldiers. They had invaded Earth.

Emmeline didn't know if it was their plan all along to invade Earth and get Loki and Thor out of the way or if they were in both realms, but either way she hoped Loki was safe. Iron Man flew up to her and motioned her to him.

"Come on, we need to take down the whale, it's going for the Empire State!" he said. Emmeline ran to him and he picked her up and flew her to the middle of the action.

It started on the third day since Loki had left. Emmeline was in the living room baking muffins with her hands when the TV changed from General Hospital to the Emergency News.

"Invasion in New York City," read the headline. Emmeline turned to the television and the news reporter mentioned Tony's name and the other Avengers, showing footage of what Emmeline knew was a Chitauri soldier.

"Oh no," she said to herself. She left her muffins on the counter and ran to the telephone to dial S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"Are you happy now?" said Nick Fury, answering the phone.

"No Nick, Loki and I want to rule the Earth, not sacrifice it to these disgusting creatures! I'm going over there. Can you send me a ship?"

"What makes you think I'm going to trust you?"

"I don't expect you to trust me, I expect a ship."

"Fine. Be outside in an hour."

Then an hour later, the ship came and took Emmeline to New York City. There was a portal above Stark tower and Chitauri were flying through it.

"Where did that portal come from?" asked Emmeline when she met Nick inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"You tell me! You did this!"

"I know, but now I'm going to fix it. Loki would kill me if I took over the world without him." Emmeline smirked at Nick and went to Tony's study room to tell the rest of the Avengers that she was going to help them.

"You guys this is my fault, I'm sorry," she said quickly, walking into the study room.

"It's okay, we know the story," said Tony. "Are you with us?"

"Yeah."

"Cool, let's go."

"That's it?" said Captain America, following them out of the study room. Emmeline and Iron Man then made their way to the top of Stark tower, which brought them to the present moment.

Iron Man and Emmeline were outside the Empire State building, preparing to take down the Chitauri whale before it smashed the building to the ground. Iron Man blasted it with his hands and Emmeline tried to freeze it, but she couldn't get the ice thick enough to stay on the whale.

"Set it on fire!" said Tony.

"I can't, the city will burn!" Emmeline paused for a minute.

"Throw me inside of it," she said.

"Are you insane?! You'll die instantly!"

"It's the only way we can stop it," she said. "If I burn the core and freeze it after, the whale will shut down."

"I'm not going to send you in there to be killed," said Iron Man.

"I won't," Emmeline replied, and she jumped out of Iron Man's grasp and onto the whale's back.

"Emmeline!" Tony yelled. Emmeline tried to keep her footing on the whale as she made her way to its head. Chitauri came up and tried to blast her, but she fired fireballs at them. The sound of wind was all she could hear as she climbed into the dark mouth of the whale. It was hot and all Emmeline could see were the dozens of Chitauri soldiers coming at her. She froze most of them and set some on fire, running through them to get to the core of the whale. She felt her black and green suit get snagged and tear on sharp edges of the whale and her face and legs got scratched and cut. Her face stung horribly, but Emmeline knew that if she didn't make it to the core quickly, the consequences would be much worse.

Emmeline pushed her way through the whale quickly, freezing any Chitauri soldiers in front of her, until finally she came to the core power source of the whale. Emmeline wasted no time placing her hands over the core and burning it. As soon as she got it hot enough, she ran in the other direction to escape the whale; it was going to explode. Emmeline could see the light at the whale's mouth and she stuck her hand out as the whale exploded. Iron Man grabbed her hand before the explosion got to her and flew her above it.

"You're crazy," he said. Emmeline smiled.

"Yeah, but I did it."

"I can't say you're unscathed, though." Just then, the sound of more Chitauri whales and soldiers came through the portal in the sky. This time there were more.

"Shit," said Emmeline. Iron Man flew back to Stark tower and set Emmeline down in the study room.

"You can't do that anymore, and I won't let you."

"Then what do we do?"

"The Avengers have enough power to hold them, we can keep them busy. But we can't fight them forever, and we need this to end before any more lives are lost. We need to close the portal."

"The only thing that can close the portal is the Tesseract. But it isn't on Earth anymore." Iron Man didn't say anything. He was deep in thought.

"We need Thor. He's the only one that can help us; him and Loki. I'm going to talk to him. I'm going to help him get the Tesseract back so we can end this and save both worlds," said Emmeline.

"But how will you get up there?"

"Beg."

Emmeline left Stark tower and ran to the next alley she saw, where she wouldn't get hit with a blaster. She looked up to the sky, not expecting to see anything, but knowing somebody would see her.

"Heimdall!" she called. "I know I'm not allowed, but…we need Thor! And I need Loki." Emmeline stood there, and nothing happened. She sighed and looked around her, the Chitauri destroying everything in their path, destroying what was supposed to be Loki's kingdom. Emmeline missed Loki. This was not how it was supposed to be. She began to cry and shouted out again.

"Heimdall, please!" she yelled. "Please…" Silence. Emmeline gave up. She leaned against the wall of the building and tried to stop crying. But just as she was starting to head back to Stark tower, a rainbow beam touched the ground, enveloping her in it, and without even a second for her to think, it whisked her in the air and carried her through a vortex. Emmeline closed her eyes and waited for it to slow down.

After a few seconds, the vortex slowed and dropped Emmeline onto a golden floor. She brushed her hair out of her face and saw a tall man with dark skin and golden armor standing above her.

"I am Heimdall, protector of the nine realms," said the man in a deep voice. "You summoned me."

"Heimdall!" exclaimed Emmeline as she stood up. She threw her arms around him and it took him by surprise.

"Sorry," she said, letting go. "I just, thank you. Thanks for letting me up here."

"I could get in some trouble," said Heimdall. "But you seem to have a problem."

"Yes," said Emmeline, looking around at the dome shaped room they were in. It was very big and there was a pedestal in the middle with a golden sword inserted in it. The entire dome was golden, and the floor and the walls were decorated with the most detailed design. When Emmeline looked back at her exit, she saw a circular window revealing what she concluded was outer space. There were many stars and collectively they made a rainbow. It was beautiful.

"Wow," she said.

"Welcome to Asgard," said Heimdall.

Asgard was beautiful. It was as if everything was made of gold. Buildings floated in the sky and the palace looked like tall golden organ pipes. Emmeline tried not to get too distracted as a guard gave her some Asgardian female armor to wear.

"This is what the Asgardian women wear," said the guard.

"Thank you," said Emmeline. After she put the armor-dress on, the guard motioned for her to follow him.

"You have come to see Thor Odinson?"

"Yes," said Emmeline.

"I will take you to him." The guard led Emmeline to a room full of people. It looked kind of like a bar, but more…medieval. The guard pointed to Thor, sitting by a man with a long red beard.

"Thank you," said Emmeline, and she made her way to Thor. She tapped his shoulder. He turned around with a smile, but when he saw Emmeline, his expression changed to shocked.

"Emmeline! What are you doing here?" said Thor. Emmeline didn't get a chance to say anything before Thor got up and grabbed her arm, dragging her to an empty corridor.

"I know, I'm sorry, but Earth is in trouble," said Emmeline without any hesitation.

"What?"

"The Chitauri came, and they're killing everyone, and the Avengers and I—we can't do it without you and Loki."

"This is worse than I thought. They are here on Asgard as well."

"Okay, well…how about we split up? I'll take Loki, and you stay here."

"Loki's in prison." Emmeline was taken aback. She had to pause for a moment. Then once she registered what Thor had said to her, she responded in fury.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS IN PRISON?!" she yelled.

"When Odin found out that Loki had given the Chitauri the Tesseract, he imprisoned him," Thor replied. "How did you get up here?"

"Heimdall let me in, but never mind that. I want to see him."

"Father won't allow—"

"—Thor, please. Let me see him."

* * *

Loki sat still in the back of his cell, leaning against the wall like he had been when Thor came to visit him. The blood on his foot had dried, and the cuts on his arms and legs stung. Loki had sat there in despair for days. He didn't want to do anything. He didn't want to think or feel. He kept thinking about the last time he saw Frigga. She had told him she loved him and that she wanted him to be happy. But Loki had responded with harsh words and the denial of her wishes. Tears ran down Loki's face.

Eventually Loki lost track of time. He sat in agony for what felt like an awful long time, but he couldn't tell how long it was. All he knew was that at one moment he heard his cell door open. He simply turned his head to see who was to walk through. He expected it was a guard coming to bring him food, or maybe even Thor, to tell him how the war was going without him. But it was neither of those.

Loki turned his head to the door and the woman he loved walked through in Asgardian clothing. Loki smiled as he felt Emmeline in his arms. She put her hands on his face.

"Loki, what happened to you? What did you do to this place? Oh, your foot, Loki you're all cut! What happened?" Loki pulled her back into his arms.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he said.

"I'm here now," she replied.

"…Frigga is dead," Loki said.

"Oh…Loki I'm sorry," said Emmeline, holding on to his embrace. "Is that why you did this?" Loki said nothing, but he could tell she knew.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"I begged Heimdall," said Emmeline with a smile. Loki smiled back. Emmeline sat next to him and leaned against the wall. They crossed their legs together and Loki looked at her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you more," Emmeline replied. She looked back at Loki and brought her face to his to kiss him. Loki put hands on her back and pulled her into his lap. Their subtle kissing slowly turned into making out. Loki let out a moan as Emmeline ran her fingers through his hair and he slid his hands under Emmeline's dress. She pushed them away. Loki smiled at her, keeping his eyes closed and still kissing her.

"You're being a tease," he said. Emmeline smiled back.

"I know," she replied, putting his hands back under her dress and kissing him some more.

"I love you," he whispered. Loki loved to tell Emmeline how much he loved her because he knew she loved him too. She was the only one who treated him as an equal; who truly loved him. He couldn't thank her enough for that.

Loki and Emmeline made out for a long time; night fell and eventually they had made their way to the corner. Loki was touching her upper legs under her skirt, and Emmeline had her hands inside his shirt. Emmeline kissed him with the greatest passion, but at one point slowed down and said,

"Oh."

Loki let go and slowly turned his head toward the window, where Emmeline was looking, to see his brother—looking at him like he was a maniac. Loki let out a sigh of frustration.

"What?" he said impatiently. Thor chuckled.

"…Nothing," he said. "Never mind, carry on." He started to walk away.

"Wait," said Loki. "Do you have a light that you could turn off, or a curtain? The whole prison can see us." Thor gave him another look.

"You didn't seem to care when you were touching her—"

"—Please Thor," said Emmeline. Thor sighed.

"Alright, I'll have the guard get a curtain."

A few minutes later, a guard put a red curtain over the cell window and Loki looked at Emmeline, raising his eyebrows.

"Help me get out of this suit," said Emmeline, smiling.

* * *

Loki and Emmeline lay in the bed naked, facing each other. Loki had his body pressed against Emmeline's, and she had her hand on his chest. He liked to just stare at her; she was beautiful. Her auburn curls fell perfectly on her shoulders and back. Emmeline put her hand on Loki's face and kissed him slowly.

"Do you promise to love me forever?" she asked in a whisper. Loki put his hand on her lower back.

"I promise," he whispered back, kissing her gently. Loki ran his hand along Emmeline's figure and she wrapped her legs around his. Emmeline got on top and as their kissing became more heated, their breathing sped up. Loki grabbed her arms and sighed as he kissed her. He paused and looked at her, smiling.

"I love you," he said. Emmeline smiled at him, putting her hands in his hair and kissing him harder.

* * *

The next morning, Loki woke up with Emmeline's head on his chest. When he woke up she stirred and sat up, holding the sheets around herself.

"Good morning," she said, looking around for her clothes. Loki looked at her and giggled.

"You look like a hot mess," he said. Emmeline scowled at him.

"Loki!" she said, trying not to laugh. He laughed and stroked the back of her hair.

"I said you were hot," he said. Emmeline smirked at him and stood up to put her clothes back on.

When Emmeline and Loki had gotten dressed, they sat next to each other on the floor, facing each other.

"Thor is going to come and get me soon," said Emmeline. "I'm not supposed to be here. Odin doesn't even know." Loki smiled.

"Ooh, deception of the king…I like that," he said. Emmeline smiled and held his hand. "Emmeline…how did you find out I was here?"

"Thor told me when I got here. I came because…the Chitauri have invaded Earth."

"What?!"

"They used the Tesseract to make a portal to Midgard and they brought whales and they're attacking New York. I came here to ask for help, and Thor told me you were here."

"Is he going to help you? He has to! Oh, curse Odin for putting me here!"

"…I don't know what we're going to do."

"I'm sorry," said Loki. "I wish I could help you." Emmeline smiled.

Later that morning, Thor came to get Emmeline. Loki didn't know if he was sending her back to Earth with or without help, and he worried about her. He called out to Thor before he left the prison.

"Send her with help," he said. "If anything happens to her, I will wring you by your neck."

"Don't worry, we have a plan," said Thor. That was all he would tell Loki. So he sat back against the wall, dissatisfied, like he had done the day before.

"Please Thor, I'm sure if you just let me talk to him—"

"—All my father's decisions are final. And he wouldn't be very happy to know that you're up here." Emmeline sighed, looking at the ground sadly. Thor tried to think of something to cheer her up.

"How about I take you around Asgard; to meet my friends," suggested Thor.

"Alright," said Emmeline, smiling at him.

"Come on," said Thor. He led her to a long corridor and in the middle of it was a sitting room, where Sif and the Warriors Three often discussed war tactics with Thor. He hadn't told Emmeline, but he had a meeting right now, and he was late. But he knew she was upset about Loki, and he didn't want to burden her.

"It's about time you showed up!" said Sif, when Thor walked in. He laughed.

"I had something to do."

"Who's this?" asked Sif, referring to Emmeline.

"I'm Emmeline Collins," said Emmeline, shaking Sif's hand.

"Emmeline, this is Lady Sif and the Warriors Three; Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun." Thor then directed his attention to his friends. "Emmeline is a mortal," he said. "Father doesn't know she is here, so don't any of you say a thing."

"I thought your mortal was Jane Foster," said Volstagg.

"I am Loki's," said Emmeline, and all four of Thor's friends stared at her. Thor wanted to tell them not to say anything, but he didn't have time.

"What?! Loki?! Thor's evil brother that tried to kill all of us and take over Asgard with war and suffering? Are you mad?!" said Sif. Emmeline sat down next to Thor.

"Maybe," she replied. "But I love him."

"Why?!"

"Because…I know him."

"I don't understand this," said Sif.

"Don't judge her Sif, she just got here!" said Fandral. Sif rolled her eyes at Fandral.

"What is she doing here if she is a mortal?" asked Sif.

"Midgard is in trouble," said Thor. "The Chitauri have invaded there too." A silence fell over the six of them.

"We don't have enough men to go to Midgard," said Fandral.

"I know," Thor replied.

"I'm sorry I came up here," said Emmeline. "I don't know what made me think I could ask for help when you guys were at war as well."

"I'm glad you did," said Thor. "We'll think of something. In fact…I thought of something."

"What is it?" asked Volstagg. Thor sighed.

"It's treason," he said. "Can I trust you all to remain silent?"

"You know you can trust us," said Sif. Emmeline leaned in as Thor whispered his plan.

"I'm going to help Loki escape. Then both of us will go to Midgard."

"Help him escape? He's in prison for a reason, Thor!" said Sif.

"He wants to help," Thor said. "He is still my brother. I will just need some help from you all. We need a plan to get out of Asgard without my father stopping us."

"Volstagg and I can help with that," said Fandral.

"Wonderful," Thor said, as he turned to Sif and smiled.

"Lady Sif, will you lead the battle against the Chitauri in my place here in Asgard? I know you can do it."

"Of course I can do it," replied Sif with a smile. "I will make you and Asgard proud." Thor turned to Hogun.

"Hogun, you distract Odin. Do whatever you have to, and make sure Heimdall lets no one in or out until I have left."

"Yes sir," said Hogun. Then Thor turned to Emmeline.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asked with a smile.

"Hell yeah," she said.

* * *

That night, Loki sat on his bed trying to read the books his mother had sent him. He especially wanted to read them now. But he thought of Emmeline mostly. He wondered if Thor sent her with help. He wondered if she was safe. But Loki did not want to keep himself up all night worrying about her, so he closed his book and crawled under the blanket.

Loki was woken up in the middle of the night to see Emmeline standing outside the window. He got up quickly and ran to the window.

"Darling, what are you doing here?" he said.

"Shh, we're helping you!" Emmeline pointed behind him and Loki saw Thor open the door of his cell. He walked over to Thor.

"Brother, what is going on?" he whispered.

"We're helping you escape. Now come on, and stay quiet." Loki smiled and put his hand on the back of Thor's neck.

"I love you," said Loki. Thor laughed and they left the cell and Emmeline met them on the other side. Loki hugged and kissed her.

"Come on," she said. "Fandral and Heimdall are waiting in the observatory." Loki followed Thor and Emmeline to the observatory and he used his magic to put his suit on and fix his hair back.

"We have to hurry," said Thor.

"I am committing treason against my king," said Heimdall. "So you know I must tell him when he wakes."

"We will be long gone by then," said Loki. Then he had a thought. "Thor, what about the battle at Asgard? You can't leave them to fight the Chitauri."

"Lady Sif is taking my place. She is a good warrior."

"Ah, yes, Sif. The spunky one."

"Get ready," said Fandral, standing next to Heimdall. Thor, Emmeline, and Loki stood in front of the bifrost and Heimdall pushed his golden sword into the pedestal, sending them to Midgard.

* * *

When they arrived in New York, Loki looked around, shocked. It was chaos. Loki looked over at Emmeline.

"Was it like this when you left?" he asked.

"Yep," Emmeline replied. Thor handed Loki his daggers.

"I thought you would need these," he said. "Let's not waste time." Thor began swinging Mjolnir into Chitauri and Loki smiled as he jabbed his dagger into one of their faces.

"I'm going to go tell Tony!" yelled Emmeline, trying to be heard over the chaos and sounds of Chitauri being slain. "Stay here and fight!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Loki, wrestling a Chitauri soldier and stabbing him in the chest with his dagger.

"We need to find a way to close the portal!" yelled Loki to Thor. "They're just going to keep coming!"

"But doesn't the Tesseract power the portal? If we just take it the portal will shut," Thor replied, smashing a Chitauri soldier to the ground with Mjolnir. As Loki stabbed and wrestled with numerous Chitauri soldiers, he struggled to yell to Thor:

"No, it's energy is too much, if you touch it it will kill you! We need something with Uru metal! My scepter was made of it, and it was the only thing that could close the portal, but since the Chitauri have the Tesseract, the scepter went with them!"

Thor swung Mjolnir at the last Chitauri soldier in their area and looked at Loki.

"Mjolnir is made of Uru metal," he said, wiping the blood off of his face. They stared at each other, knowing what the other was thinking. Then the both of them took off running in the direction of Stark tower, planning to close the portal.

Loki stabbed Chitauri soldiers in their way and jumped on one's back that was flying in a hovercraft. He stabbed it and pushed it off, flying the hovercraft to Thor.

"Hurry so we can get up there," said Loki. Thor climbed onto the hovercraft and Loki flew them up to Stark tower where Emmeline was freezing and burning numerous Chitauri. He was going to drop Thor at the top, but a Chitauri whale came and knocked Thor and Loki off the hovercraft, onto the roof of the tower. Loki scrambled to the stairs, which was closest to the Tesseract.

"Loki, catch!" yelled Thor, throwing Mjolnir at Loki. When Mjolnir landed in Loki's hands, it dragged him to the ground.

"You fool! You know you're the only one that can hold this thing!" Loki grabbed Mjolnir and spun his legs around to kick Chitauri in the face as Thor ran over. He picked up Mjolnir and ran up the stairs to the top of Stark tower.

"Hurry!" yelled Loki, stabbing soldier after soldier. Thor made it up the stairs and leaned back as he placed his hammer into the Tesseract, collapsing the Chitauri's portal into thin air.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After the portal was destroyed, Thor and Loki only had to deal with the rest of the Chitauri left on Earth. Thor came down the stairs and swung Mjolnir at Chitauri soldiers while Loki continued stabbing them with his daggers.

Just then, a bifrost portal appeared on the edge of the horizon.

"Heimdall is calling us," said Thor, smashing a soldier.

"Go," said Loki. "The portal is closed; Emmeline and I will finish this with the Avengers. There is a battle to be won in Asgard." Thor smiled at his brother and flung his hammer toward the portal, flying out of sight. Loki continued slaying Chitauri and the Hulk came up to the roof, looking around for soldiers to smash. Loki smirked at him as he elbowed a soldier in the face.

"Ooh, look at you, Banner," said Loki. "Decided to unleash the beast?" The monster growled; Loki was pushing it. He laughed. "Go take down the rest of the whales. Emmeline and I have the soldiers under control." The Hulk grunted and jumped off Stark tower onto a whale's back. As Loki fought another Chitauri soldier, he could see Emmeline doing the same on the ground, a few kilometers away from him.

Once Loki had taken care of all the soldiers on the roof, he decided to kill the ones flying around. To get off of Stark tower, he quickly jumped onto a hovercraft and stabbed the soldier operating it. He pushed the dead soldier off the hovercraft and flew it near others where he could stab them.

The war went on and on with the Chitauri against the Avengers, Emmeline, and Loki. Eventually there were only a counting amount of Chitauri soldiers left. But as Loki was battling several of them, he looked over at Emmeline who was doing the same several kilometers away, and something terrible happened.

Loki elbowed a soldier in the face, knocking him down, and as he looked at Emmeline, he saw her freeze a soldier while another one took out a sword behind her. Before Loki could even think, Emmeline turned around and the soldier pushed his sword into her side.

"NO!" screamed Loki as Emmeline fell to the ground, cringing in pain. Loki ran as fast as he could to get to her side. As soon as he got there, he took the sword out of Emmeline and jabbed it into the Chitauri soldier's face. He turned to Emmeline and knelt down to her.

"Emmeline…" he said. "No, please…" Emmeline struggled to breathe, and blood came out of her mouth as she looked at Loki. She lifted a bloody hand up to Loki's face and tried to sit up. Loki gently pushed her back down and put her head in his lap. Tears welled up in his eyes and he stroked the side of her face. She looked at him blankly, half-conscious.

"Hey…hey," she said. "Don't cry." Loki bit his lip and blinked back tears as he buried his face into her shoulder. He held her close to him and sat back up. Emmeline tried to smile at him.

"I…I…" she struggled to say.

"It's alright," said Loki, tears streaming down his face. He looked around for someone, the Avengers; anyone.

"Help!" he called. "Somebody please, help!" But nobody was around. Suddenly, Loki saw a bifrost portal appear at the edge of the horizon like it had for Thor. Heimdall was helping him. Loki looked down at Emmeline, her blood in a puddle around her, desperately trying to hold on to life. He didn't know if he could get there in time, but he was going to try. He picked her up, her blood on his hands, and ran as fast as he could toward the portal

"Loki," said Emmeline, in a hoarse voice. "Don't…it's okay…" Loki didn't bother to fight the tears running down his face, mixing with Emmeline's blood when they fell.

"No," he said. "I'm not going to let you die. You're not going to end up like all the others. I'm not going to let you leave."

As Loki continued to run, he noticed Emmeline getting hot. Very hot. In fact, she was burning his arms as he carried her. He shut his eyes and yelled to fight the pain as he ran into the bifrost portal. It took both of them up to Asgard.

* * *

As soon as the portal dropped Loki and Emmeline in Asgard, Loki ran past Heimdall, calling for help.

"Thor!" he called. "Odin! Someone!" Loki ran straight to the sitting room, where Thor and his friends were.

"THOR!" Loki called down the hall. He entered the sitting room and Thor rushed to him.

"Brother, what is—oh dear God."

"Her blood is dripping onto the floor, Thor PLEASE!" Thor led Loki to the healing room and cleared off a table for Emmeline.

"Set her here," said Thor. Loki gently lied Emmeline on the table and several Asgardian nurses surrounded her. At that point Emmeline was unconscious. A nurse tried to force Loki and Thor out of the room.

"We will do what we can," she said.

"Will she live?" asked Loki.

"We'll try," repeated the nurse. She shut the door and Loki banged his fist on it.

"Brother, what happened to your hands?" asked Thor. Loki looked down at his arms. They were terribly burnt; they were red and blistered, and as Loki saw them, a terrible pain came.

"A Chitauri soldier…stabbed her with a sword," he said. "She got hot when I carried her." Loki hadn't looked at his brother. He just stared at the door; waiting for Emmeline to be okay.

* * *

The first thing Emmeline noticed when she woke up was that she was in terrible pain. Her side was throbbing as if she had been stabbed. But she began to recall—she _had_ been stabbed. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying on a table. She was in a small dark room made of stone, which let her know she was in Asgard. She tried to sit up but immediately lied back down as a shot of pain shocked her side.

"Ah!" she yelled. Suddenly her hands burst into flames. She hadn't forced her heat powers; in fact, she couldn't even feel it. It was happening by itself. Emmeline had lost control.

"What's going on?" she said to herself. She wanted to get up and find Loki, but her wounds held her stationary.

"Hello?!" she called. "Is anyone here?"

Just then, an old man entered the room. He was wearing a suit similar to Thor's, and he wore a golden eye-patch over his right eye.

"Hello," said Emmeline. "Can you tell me what is going on?"

"You're on fire," said the man, slowly pacing around the room.

"I know, I seem to have lost control of it…are you a doctor?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I'm Emmeline. I think Loki brought me here; do you know where he is?"

"He's sitting outside this room, waiting for you. He isn't allowed in here. You're not in good shape."

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" said Emmeline. The old man looked at her.

"I am Odin, King of Asgard." Emmeline's jaw dropped.

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry, your majesty, I didn't know."

"It is alright," said Odin. "But you have much to explain. I understand you are in love with my son Loki."

"Yes," Emmeline replied. "I think he brought me here…I got hurt."

"You can't be here. Do you intend for any harm to come to Asgard?"

"Oh no sir, I just…well, Loki and I have the same plans." Odin nodded.

"Even so, you are a danger here. Your power is a threat to our society."

"Usually I can control it, but…I don't know what happened." Emmeline's limbs were still in flames. Some sparks even flew off of her and Odin backed away.

"The nurses say you cannot leave here because you are not well," said Odin. "Therefore we must have you contained. There is a glass case in the throne room that is fireproof that has been constructed for you. You will be contained in there until the nurses can find out how to appease your powers and then you will be sent back to Earth. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," said Emmeline. "What of Loki?"

"He and Thor will fight the war against the Chitauri here in Asgard. Then, if Loki behaves himself he will resume his position as my son, while Thor is proclaimed king." Emmeline sighed; she wanted Loki to be king and she couldn't help him.

"I'm sorry for any inconveniences, your majesty," she said.

"I know you mean no harm. But in the case that you attack Asgard, you will be killed."

"Will I ever see Loki again? You cannot keep me from him; I love him."

"That all depends on the behavior of the both of you," said Odin. "I only want what is best for Asgard; what is best for my son." Odin gave Emmeline one last expressionless look and left the room.

As soon as Odin left, Loki entered. He rushed to her and tried to hug her, but Emmeline leaned away.

"Loki, no," she said.

"What?" said Loki. He looked awful. He had red circles around his eyes, and his face had shadows on it as if it was sunk in.

"I can't control my heat powers," said Emmeline. "I'll hurt you."

"It's okay," Loki replied, showing her his arms, covered in bloody, dark red blisters.

"Oh God, did I do that?"

"I carried you," Loki said. He kneeled by the table she was lying on. "I have worried over you day and night. I did not leave the door."

"How long have I been here?"

"Four days."

"Oh my God." Emmeline paused for a second. "Odin told me he was going to put me away; in a glass case in the throne room." Loki stood up.

"What? Why? No! I won't let him do this, I—"

"—No Loki, I want to go. I need to be contained, I'll set the city on fire, I'll destroy everything. It's only going to get worse. It's only until I can figure out how to regain control." Loki looked at her with horror, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No! I—if you think I'm going to just let him lock you in a glass prison to burn, I…I just want to go home. I want to take you home."

"Where?" Loki looked down and shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. Sparks started to fly off of Emmeline and she looked at Loki sadly. Her whole lower body was in flames now.

"I have to go," she said, her voice shaking. Loki walked around the table where he was behind Emmeline. He put his hands on her shoulders—not yet in flames—and leaned his head over to kiss her. She turned her head and kissed him back. She could feel the wetness of his tears on her face.

"I love you Loki," she whispered. "I only want to keep you safe."

"I am going to win this war with Thor. And I am going to take Asgard into my power; and I will make you my queen." Loki kept his forehead pressed against Emmeline's, but suddenly the flames rose to her shoulders and Loki gasped, backing away.

"I'm sorry," said Emmeline. "Please go get them." Loki looked at her with sorrow for an instant, and then left the room quickly to get the nurses.

* * *

Loki thought that when he took Emmeline to the Asgardian nurses, they would help her to heal and recover and she would be fine. But things only got worse. Emmeline had lost control of her heat powers, and she couldn't even summon any of her ice to suppress it. Odin had ordered her to be incarcerated in a fireproof glass box in the throne room, where she wouldn't be a danger to anyone. And Emmeline went willingly.

Loki would go and see Emmeline in the throne room at least twice every hour, but he wished he could be with her without a glass barrier between them. Meanwhile, he and Thor knew that the Chitauri were planning another attack on Asgard, and they were working out their battle strategies.

"We need the Tesseract," said Loki to his brother. "If we take it back they will not be able to return here."

"But we cannot contain its energy," said Thor. "We would have to take it back to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But they intend to make weapons with it!"

"Not if we explain to Nick Fury the dangers. He is a reasonable man."

"Okay fine, then let's steal it and take it back to Midgard."

"You don't understand. Then the Frost Giants would be drawn to Midgard and they would be in danger. When the Convergence comes and all nine realms come into alignment, Midgard will be the target."

"Then what do we do?"

"I don't know. I'm going to talk to father." Thor and Loki sat there for a minute in thought, and Thor eventually got up and left.

Loki wanted to go and see Emmeline, but he hesitated. He was almost afraid to go into the throne room. Emmeline had started to look really, truly awful. Her fire power, according to the Asgardian nurses, was draining her energy and nutrients, making her weaker and weaker. As time went on, her face sank in, there were dark purple circles around her eyes, and she was getting skinnier and skinnier. Loki couldn't bear seeing her like that. He would not lose himself in front of Odin. He couldn't.

But he longed for her.

Loki got up and walked through the west corridor and halfway, he was stopped by a sword. He stepped back. Sif smiled at him and put her sword back into its scabbard.

"Hello Sif," said Loki. "Did you miss me?"

"I wept every day," said Sif sarcastically. She turned serious.

"Why have you returned here? Did you fail in Midgard?" she said. Loki laughed.

"Midgard is no longer of my concern," said Loki. Sif smirked at him.

"Why do you go down to the throne room so often to see her? Do you mock her? She is injured." Loki's smile quickly faded, and turned into a scowl.

"I do not mock her! I go to ensure her health and safety! I go to visit her!"

"Why do you care?"

"I love her!" Loki yelled. Sif just looked at him.

"You are incapable of such feelings," she replied. Loki said nothing and pushed her aside as he walked past her.

When he got to the throne room, Loki stopped in his tracks when he saw Emmeline in the glass case. She was sitting on the floor, leaned against the wall, and Odin was knelt down to her, talking to her. Emmeline was looking at him weakly. Her whole body was enveloped in flames, and she was wearing fireproof armor so her clothing wouldn't burn.

Loki walked up to the glass case quickly and got on his knees.

"Odin, what are you doing?" asked Loki. Odin stood up.

"Nothing, son," he said. Loki looked at Emmeline, who looked more like a corpse now. She tried to smile at him.

"Have the nurses found out how to help you?" asked Loki. Emmeline shook her head.

"…I'm dying, Loki," she muttered. "I can't find any ice powers to stop the fire. I—I'm wasting away. I just…want you to know that I love you." Loki looked at her with horror and tears in his eyes.

"No," he said. "No you're not! I won't let this happen!" Suddenly Odin placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki stood up and looked at him.

"Loki—"

"—No, Odin! I'm not giving up like you! You are a weak king! You're giving up on her just like you did Frigga! Well I won't stand for it!" Loki turned to Emmeline. "Don't give up darling," he said. He turned around quickly and marched out of the throne room.

* * *

Thor was very concerned about his brother. He was very concerned about many things: Loki, Emmeline, Asgard, and Odin. Emmeline looked worse every time Thor saw her, the Chitauri were coming and Thor was short on strategies, and Odin was up night and day worrying about Loki. He hadn't said anything, but Thor could see Odin worrying about his adopted son. He was losing him.

Thor worried about Loki too, but not for the same reason as Odin. Odin worried that he was losing Loki as a son, and Thor worried that Loki was losing himself. With Emmeline's injury, Loki concerned himself with nothing but her survival. But he began to lose hope.

One afternoon, Thor entered the sitting room to find it empty except for Loki sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall post. He didn't even look up at Thor when he entered. He had a sorrowful look on his face and he stared blankly at the wall. Thor could imagine what he was going through. If anything were to happen to Jane, Thor would be in hysterics. Maybe he could be a source of comfort for his brother. Thor walked over to Loki and sat next to him without a word. Loki looked down at the floor.

"What are you doing?" asked Loki, emotionless.

"I came to see if you were okay," said Thor. Loki laughed.

"I've never been okay a day in my life," he replied, and his smile faded. He looked at Thor for the first time since he came in.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" he asked. "I know that's not what they say, but I can't…" he trailed off.

"I think she'll pull through," said Thor. "She's strong. It was just a sword."

"Just a sword?"

"Alright…I'm just trying to make you feel better." Loki tried to smile a little, but he gave up and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Thor saw tears form in his eyes.

"Don't give up, Loki," said Thor. He didn't know what to say. Loki closed his eyes and tears ran down his face.

"I just don't know how she is going to get out of this," said Loki. He turned and looked at Thor. "…I'm scared." His voice shook. Thor didn't know what to say or what to think. Loki had never admitted to any fear in front of his brother before. This was truly the most vulnerable Thor had ever seen him. He put his hand on Loki's shoulder.

"It's alright," said Thor. Loki looked at Thor and he couldn't hold it anymore. Loki broke down in tears and put his face in his hands, making a high pitched noise as he cried. Thor put his arm around Loki and hugged him. Loki wouldn't look at him, but he let Thor hug him. Seeing his brother in such a state made Thor feel sad and uncomfortable. Loki was sensitive, but he hid it behind a thick mask of deceit. Now he let his sorrow show through. Thor used to think that his brother wasn't touched by anything, but now he began to think…maybe he was touched by everything.

Loki lifted his head out of his hands.

"I am weak," he said, leaning back against the wall trying to gather himself.

"It is not weakness," said Thor. "You love her."

"I am not going to give up on her," said Loki. "I am not like Odin."

* * *

"The only way for her to survive is if she can force her ice powers through to even out the energy," said an Asgardian nurse. Loki was trying to find a way to save Emmeline. First he needed to know what was wrong with her.

"The root of the problem is her wound," the Asgardian nurse went on. "It damaged her nerves that her ice and fire powers were conjured. Her fire powers spun out of control and if she can force her ice powers through, she can get the nerves to respond again. We do not have that level of cold and ice to do it ourselves." Then Loki had a brilliant idea.

"I do," he said to himself. He looked up at the nurse. "Thank you." She nodded, and Loki left the room to find Thor. Just as Loki expected, he was in the sitting room with Sif and the Warriors Three, discussing battle. Loki stood in the doorway.

"Thor, I need to speak with you," he said. Thor excused himself from a frustrated Sif, and entered the west corridor to talk to Loki as he requested.

"I need you to come with me to Jotunheim," said Loki.

"Jotunheim? What for?"

"I know how to save Emmeline," Loki replied. "I have the ice powers that are needed to save her; remember, I am a Frost Giant! I just need to get the Casket of Ancient Winters from Jotunheim so I may use them."

"But the only way to get the casket is to steal it," said Thor.

"That's what makes it fun," Loki replied.

"You know it's dangerous."

"We're already fighting a war. And if we are careful, the Frost Giants won't even notice. I'll only have it for a second. Are you going to help me or not?" Thor sighed.

"Alright," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Thor insisted on bringing Sif and the Warriors Three with him and Loki to Jotunheim. Loki thought they would just screw it up, but Thor believed they would help distract the Frost Giants. The real problem was getting Heimdall to let them out. This time he had put his foot down and was being stubborn.

"I have already committed treason against my king a number of times for you," said Heimdall. "I cannot keep doing these things; he will remove me from my position."

"It's not treason," said Loki. "We just want to go to Jotunheim."

"Unless the king has authorized it, I cannot let you leave Asgard." Heimdall stood still. Thor looked at Loki, and Sif and the Warriors Three stood silent.

"Look Heimdall," Loki said. "I don't have any big plans at the moment to launch an attack on Asgard. All I want right now is to save the woman I love from death. Do you understand? Is that too much to ask?"

"Heimdall she is dying," said Thor. There was a long pause. Loki looked at Heimdall, waiting for an answer.

"I only do this to save the life of the mortal," said Heimdall, as he opened the bifrost.

"Thank you," Thor said. Heimdall sighed and all six of them stood in front of the portal to be taken to Jotunheim.

* * *

When the bifrost dropped Loki, Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three into Jotunheim, Loki shivered. It was very cold. Thor whispered to all of them,

"Loki and Sif; you retrieve the Casket. Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun and I will distract the Frost Giants." Loki nodded and looked to Sif. She glared at him.

"Surely you can tolerate me for a few moments," said Loki, smirking.

"Let's just get this over with," Sif replied. Loki looked toward the Frost Giant palace and motioned Sif to follow him.

"We'll hide behind it," said Loki. "And when Thor has all the Frost Giants fighting him, we'll sneak in and take the Casket."

"Who put you in charge?" replied Sif.

"Your arrogance is amusing," said Loki, smiling. "Just do it, Sif."

Loki hurried behind the palace of Jotunheim, and sat with his back to the wall. Sif followed him closely.

"Wait until Thor and the others have been fighting for a while. Then we will go," whispered Loki. He listened as Laufey, King of the Frost Giants and Loki's biological father, conversed with Thor.

"What have you come for, Asgardian?" asked Laufey.

"I have come to avenge my grandfather Bor, and the past battles he fought with you," Thor replied.

"Do you think me an imbecile? You have come to pick a fight with Jotunheim. And if it is war you want, it is war you will get." Loki heard Frost Giants enter on the other side of the palace, and Thor let out a yell as the fighting began. Loki looked into the palace through a circular window. Sif put her hand on her double-bladed sword.

"Wait," said Loki, holding up his hand. The palace looked clear, at least around the Casket, which was the important thing. Loki looked at Sif.

"Stay here," he said. "Keep watch, and yell if you see anything. Give me your sword."

"What? No!"

"None of us have any time for difficulty! Do you want to survive or not?" Sif sighed in frustration and handed Loki her double-bladed sword. He slowly made his way into the palace from the back entrance, and when he entered, he saw the Casket. It was shining blue like the Tesseract, and its energy was contained in its glass outer shell, with black handles so the Frost Giants could conjure their power.

Loki approached the Casket and stood over it, lifting his hands up to grab the handles. As soon as he had his hands on the Casket, he heard the voice of Laufey behind him.

"I should have known this is what you came for," he said. Loki stood still and smiled to himself.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked without turning around.

"As I recall, son of Odin, you should already be dead. Had it not been for the Asgardian king, you would—"

"—Why?" asked Loki. He turned around to look at Laufey. "Was I such a horrible child?" Laufey smiled and a thick layer of ice began to form in the shape of a dagger in his hand.

"You were small, weak and pathetic. An abomination to the name of the Frost Giants. Not suitable for the throne at all. And I see nothing has changed." Loki looked at Laufey with hatred, and stood in his position, ready to strike him when he made his first move.

"You will not be allowed to take the Casket, Asgardian. You know you are to die." Laufey charged at Loki, but his ice knife went through him. Loki had been sitting behind the palace the whole time. The one talking to Laufey was an illusion.

Before Laufey could turn around in confusion, Loki ran into the palace and jumped on his back, holding him down with Sif's sword. He leaned down to Laufey and gritted his teeth.

"_You dare speak of weakness! The Frost Giants are a weak race, and soon you will die at the hand of an Asgardian prince! I don't want your pathetic throne, your miserable kingdom of ogres! You are nothing you disgusting creature; and now you will die!_"

Loki attempted to stab Laufey in the back, but Laufey whirled around and put his hands on the sword, trying to push it back. Ice formed on the sword and Loki stood up and kicked Laufey back. Laufey stood up and Loki's sword clanged against Laufey's icy arm. The two fought with Loki having the upper hand, slicing Laufey's leg; his blood splattering on Loki's face.

With one flick of his sword, Loki held Laufey by his neck against the wall. Loki smirked.

"How does it feel to surrender your life to the son of Odin?" Loki whispered. "And I ask you, who is the weak one now?" Loki smiled and jabbed Sif's sword into Laufey's side. He dropped onto the floor and Loki stood and looked at him smiling.

"See you in Hell," he said. Laufey looked at him and Loki watched him disappear out of existence.

After Laufey had vanished, Loki grabbed the Casket and turned around to Sif. He felt the dried blood on his face and he had an ache in his back, so he stumbled down the stairs out of the palace. Sif held her hand out for her sword. Loki smiled as he handed it to her.

"Impressive, wasn't it?" he said. Sif smirked and rolled her eyes.

Loki and Sif walked together to the front of the palace to join Thor and the Warriors Three in fighting the Frost Giants. As they walked, Loki looked down at the Casket. His hands were blue where he was holding it and he knew that his whole body was blue and his eyes red. The Casket brought out his Frost Giant form.

When Loki and Sif made it to the front of the Jotunheim palace, Thor called out to Loki.

"Help Fandral! They're surrounding him!" Loki looked toward a hoard of Frost Giants and saw a sword go through one of them. He ran to them and stabbed two with his daggers. Fandral was in the middle of them, and he had a stab wound in his side.

"Go fight with Thor, he has it under control," said Loki. "I'll take these." Fandral ran in Thor's direction and Loki finished off the four Frost Giants that were close to him.

Suddenly, the bifrost opened up, and before Loki could even look at Thor, it took them into its vortex. When the vortex stopped, Loki, Thor, and the rest of them were dropped into the observatory in Asgard. Odin was standing in front of them.

* * *

"You fools!" he yelled.

"Father—" Thor started.

"—SILENCE!" screamed Odin. "Do you know what you've done?! We already have the Chitauri against us, and now you go and anger the Frost Giants?"

"Odin, we went there for a purpose!" said Loki. He held up the Casket. "I needed to retrieve something. This is the only way I can save Emmeline."

"You can't now!" said Odin. "I've sent her back to Midgard!" Loki froze and widened his eyes at Odin.

"What? She-She'll die! You could have waited an hour!" he screamed.

"The nurses said there was nothing left they could do," said Odin. "She belongs in Midgard, so I sent her back." Loki glared at Odin, consumed with hate. He walked back in front of the bifrost, carrying the Casket and feeling his skin changing into that of a Frost Giant.

"I am going to her," said Loki. "I will not let her die; certainly not at your hands! Heimdall, open the bifrost!"

"Son—" Odin started.

"—Don't call me that!" Loki screamed at the top of his lungs. He was so angry tears fell down his face. "YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER! …You never were." Odin said nothing.

"Where is she?" Loki asked Heimdall.

"Your majesty, I—"

"—Heimdall!"

"…S.H.I.E.L.D."

Loki walked up to the golden sword and pushed it into the pedestal, opening the bifrost, and he glared at Odin as it took him through its vortex to Midgard.

* * *

When Emmeline opened her eyes, she was in front of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters building. She was still encased in the glass box, and she didn't move. She couldn't move. She was sick and dying now. It would be any minute, and she knew it. She remembered Odin sending her back to Earth because her flames were getting so high it was a danger to Asgard. But Emmeline was okay with it…she didn't want to endanger anyone. But she was heartbroken for Loki. She couldn't even tell him goodbye.

Emmeline struggled to sit up, and leaned on the glass wall, looking at her arm. It was enveloped in flames like the rest of her, and her bones were showing through. It made her sad that she couldn't see Loki before she died. She slowly lifted her head and looked into the sky, knowing Heimdall could see her. She mouthed the words "Tell him I love him."

It wasn't long before Emmeline heard a man exclaim:

"Oh my God!" She turned her head and saw Hawkeye running toward her. He stopped in front of the box and kneeled down to her.

"Emmeline, is that you?" he asked. She smiled weakly, the best she could.

"Y-yes," she struggled to say. "I can't control…the fire…I'm dying."

"What? Why? God, I need to get you somewhere…" Hawkeye looked around frantically.

"Rogers!" he called out in a panic, and Captain America ran over to him, stopping in his tracks when he saw Emmeline.

"Help me get her in," said Hawkeye. He put his hands under one side of the box and gasped, taking them out. "It's hot."

"I'll get Fury. He has a machine." Captain America ran inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hawkeye looked at Emmeline with great concern.

"Is there anything we can do? What…happened?"

"L-long story…" said Emmeline in a hoarse voice. "There's nothing that...can be done."

Shortly, Nick Fury came with a machine that could take Emmeline inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. They set her in the glass room they held prisoners in, bigger than her glass case. She sat there, burning in flames just like she had for the past week. She sat motionless, wasting away. Hawkeye tried to explain what she told him to Captain America and Nick Fury.

"So there's nothing we can do?" said Captain America. Hawkeye looked over at Emmeline and she slowly shook her head. Just then, Tony Stark ran into the room and put his hands on the glass wall, looking at Emmeline with horror. He looked up at Hawkeye, Captain America, and Nick Fury.

"Please tell me we can do something," he said. No one said anything.

"Tony…" said Emmeline. "I missed you."

"What happened to you, where's Loki?" Tony said to Emmeline.

"He doesn't know I'm here," she replied. "It's okay though…just let me go." He looked at her and angry tears formed in his eyes. He looked back up at Hawkeye, Captain America, and Fury.

"We have to do something!" he yelled. "We can't just leave her here to die! She needs…"

"What?" said Fury. "If you can tell us what she needs, then we'll get it. There's nothing we can do for her, Stark."

"No!" He stood up and knocked a chair over in his rage, sending it to the other end of the room. "I'm going to find out how to fix her!" Emmeline shook her head, though Tony wasn't looking at her. She wanted to explain, but she was too weak to try and say anything. Tony looked back at her and she tried to smile at him. Tears ran down his face and he left the room quickly. Emmeline had never seen Tony cry.

Later that evening, Nick, Hawkeye, and Captain America had left, and Tony came into the room. He sat next to Emmeline on the other side of the glass.

"So…what exactly is wrong with you?" he asked. "Why are you all…ablaze?"

"I…got stabbed by a soldier," said Emmeline. She could barely speak. "And it—it damaged my nerves that controlled…my powers. So I can't use my ice, and…my fire took over. It burns everything, so I can't eat or drink and that's why I'm…dying."

"Oh," Tony said, leaning on his side against the glass. "I wish I could help you. I just…I'll miss you Red." Emmeline could see he was fighting back tears and she put her burning hand up to the glass.

"Don't cry," she said in a whisper. Her eyes started fluttering and she tried her best to keep them open. She felt out of it.

"You can sleep," said Tony. "I'm going to stay the night here with you." Emmeline smiled.

"I'm going to miss you Tony," she said. "You were always my favorite."

* * *

As soon as Loki set foot in Midgard, the Casket in his hands, he took off running for S.H.I.E.L.D. The bifrost had dropped him in New York, luckily, and he knew how to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki didn't worry about scaring any Midgardians in his Frost Giant form, in fact, it was convenient since he would probably take it over later.

Loki ran not knowing how much time Emmeline had left or if she had any at all. She hadn't eaten or drank anything since she had burst into flames. It had been three days. When Loki saw S.H.I.E.L.D., he ran faster and froze the door when he approached it so he could kick it open, shattering the glass. He ran through the corridors of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, knocking over agents and frightening a few. But he didn't stop.

He came into the experiment room where he saw Nick Fury, and took one hand off the Casket to pin Fury to the wall by his neck.

"Where is she?!" Loki demanded. "Now!"

"The—study room," said Nick Fury, struggling to speak. Loki let go of him and ran to the study room, knocking over Dr. Banner. Suddenly Loki stopped in front of yet another glass case. Emmeline was inside, burning, on her last breaths. Loki saw Tony Stark and banged on the glass.

"Let me in," he said. "I can save her—hurry!" Loki was surprised at how quickly Stark opened the door. Loki put both hands on the Casket, changing into his Frost Giant form so he wouldn't be burned by Emmeline. He entered the glass case and kneeled to Emmeline.

"Don't worry love," he said. "I told you I would fix this." Loki then pushed all the ice powers he could conjure through the Casket and onto Emmeline. Her fire fought back a great deal, and Loki tried harder. The fire and ice were getting stronger and stronger until finally it shattered the glass case into tiny shards. Loki stood up and clenched his eyes shut as he forced a wave of ice over Emmeline. He had done it. She was frozen.

Loki dropped the Casket and fell over in exhaustion for a moment. He tried to catch his breath and stood up to look at Emmeline, frozen in place. Unlike Emmeline, he had no heat powers so he could not unfreeze her. He ran his hand lightly over her frozen cheek, and tears flowed over his face. He was embarrassed to cry in front of the Avengers, but he could not stop himself.

"I'm sorry darling," he said sorrowfully. "I tried so hard to save you." Loki didn't notice Iron Man look at him in disbelief. He just leaned on Emmeline's shoulder and cried. He longed to feel her warm skin and her soft breath on his neck, but instead he felt an icy shell; his failed attempt to save her.

As Loki stood in despair, leaned against Emmeline, he felt the ice get slippery. He stood upright and looked at her, as the ice around her began to melt. Loki smiled. The ice quickly turned to water and melted off of Emmeline, her heat power melting it. As soon as the ice was melted, she turned her fire off. She smiled at Loki and wrapped her arms around him quickly.

"Loki you did it!" she exclaimed. "You saved me!" Loki put his hands on her back and squeezed her. He put his face in her neck.

"I almost lost you," he said, closing his eyes. Emmeline put her hands on Loki's face.

"But you didn't," she said.

"I love you so much," Loki replied, putting one hand on her face as he kissed her. How good it felt to have her in his arms again. Loki paid no attention to the Avengers as he kissed Emmeline. He let go of her and looked at her, remembering that she still looked extremely sick.

"You need sustenance," he said. He then looked to Tony Stark.

"Get her something to eat and drink; now," he said. Without a sarcastic comment, Stark left the room to get food for Emmeline. Loki knelt down to her.

"I'm going to get you well again," he said, putting his hand on the back of her neck. "I will see to it that you have time to recover until you are fully well again. After Stark feeds you I will take you back to Asgard to be cared for."

"Will they let me in?" Emmeline asked.

"They will, whether they do it willingly or not," Loki replied.

Shortly, Tony Stark came back with food and water for Emmeline and she ate quickly. Loki smiled at her.

"Loki…" she said. "Don't watch me eat; it makes me self-conscious." Loki laughed.

"Self-conscious? You were minutes away from starving to death; that is the last thing you should be worrying about. But it's alright. I'll go terrorize some Midgardians on the streets." Emmeline smiled at him.

"Don't get into any trouble," she called out to him when he was near the door. Loki looked back at her and smiled.

"I never get into trouble; it follows me," he said, and left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**(Author's Note: This chapter is kind of slow, but it's also kind of short, so yeah. But, it leads to more interesting things in the next chapter. I love this chapter though because there's lots of Loki (and Tony). :) And Odin is still set in his decisions...)**

Chapter 9

"She is alive," said Heimdall, and Thor let out a sigh of relief. Heimdall could see every soul in all the nine realms, and Thor had anxiously been waiting to hear if Emmeline would survive and if Loki would get there in time. He had, and Thor was relieved and happy.

"Loki plans to bring her back here for recuperation," said Heimdall.

"Heimdall, you must let them back in," said Thor, pleadingly. "I'll talk with father first, but even if he refuses…"

"I will think about it then," said Heimdall, looking over at Thor and then back at the rainbow constellations.

That evening, Thor prepared himself to go talk to Odin. His father just didn't seem to understand that what Loki was doing wasn't for his taking of the throne. His actions right now were purely for the woman he loved. Thor of all people could understand that. It made him think of Jane. He missed her terribly, but he put off going to see her. He wanted to, but honestly Thor was afraid. She would be angry at him for leaving for so long and with everything that was going on in Asgard it would be like he was hanging her by a string. He was conflicted with his two loves: Jane and Asgard.

That evening, Thor walked into the throne room and kneeled at his father's throne.

"Father," he said. "I have an urgent matter to discuss with you."

"I'm listening," Odin replied, his booming voice echoing through the golden walls of the throne room.

"Father I ask you—I beg of you—to let Loki and Emmeline back into Asgard. Emmeline has been saved and needs recuperation. Loki has not been a recent threat either, he just wants her safe."

"This is not about Loki. She does not belong here, she is a mortal. She is dangerous."

"But if now she can control her powers she will not burn anything and she is not a threat."

"One word from Loki and she could burn up our whole palace."

"Bu—"

"—No more. You know your brother Thor, and he and the woman together would mean chaos for Asgard. Loki will be brought back to aid you in the war; but the mortal must be left in Midgard." Odin looked at Thor with an expression that finalized his decision. Thor knew he could say nothing to change his mind.

"Yes father," he said, standing up and walking out of the throne room.

* * *

After some consideration, Loki and Emmeline both decided that she would best be recuperated in Midgard, or 'Earth', as she called it. Asgardian food was unfamiliar and not very nourishing to her, and she was a mortal. Asgardian doctors knew little about mortal care. So Loki took Emmeline to his house in Moscow, planning to bring her back with him to Asgard when she was well.

When Fury's small ship brought them to the house, Loki picked Emmeline up and carried her into the house and into a bed.

"You're so strong," she said. Loki smiled shyly.

"Meager compared to Thor."

"Don't compare yourself to Thor," reprimanded Emmeline. As Loki set her down on the bed she put her hands on his face and looked at him affectionately. He smiled back at her. After he set her down he turned to a drawer and pulled out a large shirt for her to sleep in. He handed it to her and stood back and looked at her with a concerned, almost pained expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Emmeline asked.

"You just…you look awful. You are a beautiful creature, but what I mean is that you look like a corpse; gauntly and sick. As you should, given the circumstances, but it just bothers me. To think I almost lost you." He sat on the bed with her and put his hand on her leg. Emmeline entangled her fingers with his.

"Don't think about it; that's over now. I'll get better with time. I promise." Emmeline patted the bed next to her.

"Lay down here with me," she said. Loki did as she asked. Emmeline turned on her side to him and put her hands on his face. "You have no idea how much I've missed you. Physically. I couldn't touch you and I could only see you through a thick glass wall."

"I feel the same," said Loki. He pressed his forehead to hers and felt her shudder a little when he breathed on her.

"Do I make you nervous?" he asked.

"No, you're just…" Emmeline sighed. "Hot." Loki smiled and put his hand inside Emmeline's shirt, pressing his fingers into her back as he pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Loki lied his head down and used his magic to put more comfortable clothes on without disturbing Emmeline. He shut his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

The next morning Loki woke up alone. He looked around, thinking maybe Emmeline had fallen off the bed or gotten up to go to the bathroom, but he didn't see her. That scared him. She wasn't well; what if she had gotten sick? Loki got up and used his magic to put his regular Asgardian clothing on and exited the bedroom to look for Emmeline.

As Loki looked through the halls he got nervous. He didn't see her. It wasn't until he went to kitchen that he saw her standing at the counter, looking through the cabinets. Loki let out a sigh of relief and immediately put his arms around her.

"Don't do that!" he said.

"What? I just wanted to get up and get some breakfast," said Emmeline.

"You're not well; I thought something had happened to you," said Loki. "You need to stay in bed and get your strength back." Emmeline smiled and faced him, putting her hands on his face.

"Okay…" she said. "Why don't you help me?" She kissed him and sat on the counter, wrapping her legs around him. Loki smiled as he kissed her.

"I thought you wanted breakfast," he said.

"Mm…later…I missed you," Emmeline replied, intoxicating him with her kiss again. Loki put his hands on her back and pulled her closer. They knocked over the cereal as Loki pushed Emmeline down to where she was lying on the counter. She sat up, still kissing Loki, and drove him into the refrigerator. He groaned when his back hit the door and Emmeline roughly ran her hands through his hair. Loki let out a sigh and stopped kissing her for a moment, breathing heavily.

"No," he said. "I'm not going to bed you until you are well."

"Loki we're alone, this is a limited time opportunity," Emmeline replied.

"You're sick Emmeline, it's dangerous. Now eat your breakfast and rest." Emmeline let out a quick sigh.

"Alright, but if that's the rule, you have to quit looking so hot."

"You're wearing an oversized shirt and no pants. What do you think that does to me?" Loki said with a smile.

* * *

"Are you insane?" said Natasha Romanoff to Nick Fury. "If Emmeline finds out, she's going to kill me. We can't do that to her."

"We're not doing it to her, we just have to keep an eye on Loki when he is here on Earth," Fury replied calmly.

"But we can't just plant a camera in their home! That's against civil rights!"

"Loki is not a citizen; he doesn't get civil rights. For all we know, he could be tricking Emmeline into thinking he loves her and using her to take over the world. You know how powerful she is." In the middle of their argument, Tony Stark walked in, overhearing Fury's last statement.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think I have to side with Romanoff. I was in there when Loki saved Emmeline. At first he froze her and he thought she was dead. He leaned on her and cried. I'm not joking. He _cried_."

"He's a trickster. And even if he does love her, that isn't going to change his plans. We need to keep an eye on him. This is the last time I will say it. Romanoff: plant the camera in all rooms of the house. Stark: you're on Loki duty."

"What? I just walked in here to give my two cents!" said Stark.

"Well now you're giving three cents," said Fury with a cold stare before he exited the room. Agent Romanoff sighed.

"We have to do what he says," she said.

"I know," Tony said with a groan.

That night, Natasha stealthily snuck into Loki's Earth house. She assumed they were both asleep, but just in case, she was careful not to make a sound. With her catlike swiftness, she carefully placed a hidden surveillance camera in each room without waking them. When the only room left was the bedroom, Natasha looked in first to affirm that they were asleep. They were. To some sort of surprise, she noticed that Loki and Emmeline slept next to each other with almost no space in between them. It almost bothered Natasha to see Loki so vulnerable; she was used to his cunning tone and killer demeanor. Now he was silent and cuddling with the woman he loved. Natasha made a disgusted face to herself and snuck into the room.

She placed the camera in the corner where they wouldn't be able to see it, and while she was positioning it, she heard Loki stir. Natasha froze and looked back at Loki. He was still asleep, but had a pained expression on his face as he moved his head to the side, his face in Emmeline's hair. Natasha finished positioning the camera and slowly left the room. When she got into the hall, she sprinted out of the house and used her headset to summon one of Fury's ships to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D.

* * *

Tony sat at a desk in the surveillance room of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was not happy with his new job. He was Iron Man, he was supposed to fight bad guys and build awesome stuff like Stark tower. Not sit around and watch demigods eat breakfast. Tony didn't know why Fury thought this was necessary.

"If anything happens, report to Agent Coulson," Fury had said. What was supposed to happen? But those were his orders, so he sat and watched Loki and Emmeline. It was six o'clock in the morning and they were still asleep. Tony turned to the man next to him, who was watching the other rooms of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Is this what you do all day?" he asked.

"Yep," the man replied. Tony sighed. He needed to have a talk with Fury.

But suddenly, something actually happened. In an instant, Emmeline shot a ball of fire out of her hands onto Loki in her sleep, pushing him off the bed.

"Ow, shit!" he yelled. The blow had woken him up. "Emmeline, what the Hell?!" Emmeline woke up with a gasp and closed her palms. She looked over the other side of the bed to see Loki writhing in pain with his hands over his chest. Tony watched closely, making sure Loki wasn't going to retaliate.

"I'm sorry, did I do that?" said Emmeline. "I had a dream." Loki started hyperventilating and sweating. He swallowed.

"That's alright," he managed to say. He cringed, his hand on his chest.

"Here, let me fix it," said Emmeline. She placed her hands on Loki's chest and Tony supposed she used her ice powers to cool it. It was kind of odd to Tony, seeing Loki in a home setting; shirtless and acting like a normal person. He was acting like he loved her. But Tony didn't doubt that.

After Emmeline had cooled Loki's chest, she smiled at him.

"Sorry," she said. "I guess I'm kind of dangerous when I'm asleep."

"Your danger is what I love about you," Loki replied, surprising Tony again. Emmeline giggled and put her arms around Loki. "I want you to eat," he said.

"I'm not hungry though," she replied, her head on his chest.

"You're still terribly skinny," Loki said with concern.

"It'll take a little while before I gain my weight back; I can't just overeat and make myself sick."

"All I am is worried about you," Loki said, kissing the top of her head.

_Wow_, Tony thought. _He really loves her._

"How are things in Asgard?" Emmeline asked him, Loki stroking her hair as she lied on him.

"The Chitauri are coming, Odin is looking for more ways to put me in chains…"

"Oh. Well, you're here now. You don't have to worry about that."

"Midgard is nice for relaxation," Loki replied. "But they will send for me soon, I'm sure."

"They, as in…Odin?"

"Yes."

_Who is Odin?_ Thought Tony, as he watched Loki stand up, lifting Emmeline up with him. Loki set her down on the bed, and a green glow came from him as his regular outer-space clothing appeared on him.

"I wish I could get dressed that easily," Emmeline said. Loki smiled.

"You don't need to get dressed today," he said. "Stay here, and I am going to get you something to eat." Emmeline gave Loki a pained expression with a smile.

"Ugh, Loki I'm not hungry! Why do you keep pushing me to eat? I can't eat if I'm not hungry." She pulled him down to her and kissed his neck playfully.

"Ew," Tony said to himself. He did not understand Emmeline's feelings for Loki at all.

Loki smiled and flinched a little, chuckling.

"You're biting me," he said.

"Oh God. You guys are worse than Romeo and Juliet," said Tony, again to himself.

Emmeline wrapped her legs around Loki and kissed him, running her hands roughly through his hair.

"Oh, alright," Loki said, climbing into the bed with her. She kissed him some more and he held himself up over her. Tony was beginning to get disturbed.

"Okay, I'm getting Fury," he said to the man next to him. "They're making out and I can't watch this anymore."

But right before Tony got up, he saw something strange in the cameras. A glowing beam came from the ceiling and wrapped itself around Loki. He let go of Emmeline and looked up.

"Damn," he said. "The bifrost."

"Oh no, are you going away?" said Emmeline. The beam was pulling Loki away from her, upward.

"Not without you," Loki replied, reaching out for Emmeline and picking her up by her waist. He barely got her before the beam surged with energy and retracted, disappearing with Loki and Emmeline.

Tony sat in shock of what just happened.

"Are they gone?" said the man next to Tony, who had been watching as well.

"Yeah," Tony replied. He stood up and started for the office of Nick Fury.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long to come out! I've been kind of busy and had a little writer's block. But here it is! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon :) Also, there's a little Tony/Pepper in this one, which I like, so if you like those two as much as I do, you'll like this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! It means so much to hear what you think, and I'm open to questions/suggestions!)**

Chapter 10

"Odin you bloody arsemonger!" said Loki as he and Emmeline stumbled into the observatory in Asgard. Emmeline stayed sitting on the floor as Loki stood up, aware that she still did not have any pants on. It was as if Loki read her mind, because he looked down at her and used his magic to equip her with Asgardian armor. When Emmeline stood up, she realized that the armor was very short and covered little. She looked at Loki, who was smiling mischievously. She raised her eyebrows at him and he used his magic again to give her more modest clothing.

Odin was standing in front of them, with two guards who were about to seize Loki, when Emmeline held fire in her hands in front of him. The guards backed away as she threatened them.

"Don't touch him," she commanded.

"You do not belong here!" said Odin to Emmeline. "I sent only for my son."

"If you send for me, you send for her," said Loki. "Surely you must understand, having been in love with mother. Or maybe I'm wrong, considering you let her die!"

"Silence!" ordered Odin. "The Chitauri are expected in Asgard any day, and I will not have you idling on Midgard when your own realm suffers from your actions!"

"All-father Odin," addressed Emmeline with respect, "I volunteer to fight the war on behalf of Asgard, so long as Loki does the same." Odin turned his attention to her.

"Do you swear to be loyal to Asgard? Be mindful that your lack of loyalty will result in your own death."

"I do, sir," Emmeline replied, kneeling.

"Very well," said Odin. "You will both aid in the war. If you do not remain loyal; you will die. But until the war has begun, you will both be contained in Loki's chambers."

The two guards came and escorted Emmeline and Loki to Loki's "chambers", which Emmeline concluded was his bedroom before he decided to take over the universe.

"Why did you do that?" Loki asked her on the way.

"Isn't fighting the war what you wanted? Or would you rather I had let you and Odin continue your petty bickering?" Emmeline replied, smirking at him. Loki smiled a little.

"It would have been more fun," he snickered playfully.

* * *

The guards left Emmeline and Loki in his chambers, and the first thing Loki laid eyes on was the golden chalice on his dresser. His thoughts drifted to Frigga, who had given him the chalice when he was a child. He could remember the exact day.

Loki was playing with Thor, Volstagg, and Sif in the garden, and they were pretending to be in battle—Thor's favorite game.

"Let us see who is the strongest!" said Sif. "Whoever can throw this rock the farthest wins!" Sif picked up a large rock and chucked it into a nearby tree. She smiled proudly, looking to the boys if they dared compete with her. Thor was the next one to pick up a rock; his was larger than Sif's. He threw the rock and it sailed in the air until it had flown out of sight. Sif and Volstagg cheered, and Thor held up his arms. Loki, who had been watching from a few feet behind, ran up to the group.

"Let me try!" he exclaimed. Sif laughed.

"You'd better get a small one!" she sneered. Thor turned to his younger brother.

"Stand back brother, you are too much of a weakling," he said, showing off to his friends. Loki scowled and Thor pushed him to the ground, the rest of them laughing. Loki felt tears well up in his eyes, and refusing to be humiliated in front of his friends, filled with shame, ran inside the palace. Little Loki was trying to wipe the tears off his face and did not look where he was going when he bumped into his mother. He looked up to see her calming face smiling down at him. She frowned when she saw his tears and knelt down to him, her hands on his face.

"My darling, what's wrong?" she asked. Loki sniffled.

"They all think I am weak," he said. "I cannot throw big rocks like Thor." Tears fell from his flushed cheeks and Frigga held him close.

"Oh darling, don't listen to them," she said. "With gifts like yours, you don't need strength."

"Gifts?" Loki said. "What gifts?"

"Come, I will show you." Frigga led him to the sitting room and pulled a golden chalice from her hand.

"How did you do that?" asked Loki.

"Magic," said Frigga. "You can do it too. You would be wonderful. You must practice it though."

"Will I be better than Thor?" asked Loki.

"You both have unique gifts. Thor has his strength, but this Loki…this is yours." She placed the chalice in Loki's hands.

"Oh mother will you teach me?" said Loki, his eyes twinkling with hope.

"Of course my love," Frigga said. "But you must promise to use your power wisely."

"I promise!" said Loki, his mother pulling him into her arms to cuddle him.

"You must never think yourself less than Thor," said Frigga. "You are very special Loki."

As Loki remembered, looking at the chalice, tears formed in his eyes. Similar to the tears he cried that day in the garden, but different, for these were tears of longing. He noticed Emmeline suddenly, looking at him with compassion. He took the chalice and tucked it into a drawer.

"It's okay to miss her, Loki," said Emmeline. Loki didn't look at her. He sat on the bed and fought his tears from falling, though they did.

"If I had only been there…" he shakily muttered. Emmeline sat beside him and wiped his tears with her thumb.

"_You are very special Loki_," she said. But to Loki it was more of an echo.

* * *

The next day, a guard came to Loki's room in the middle of the afternoon. Loki went to the door and Emmeline got up to see who it was. Loki turned to her.

"Thor has summoned us to the training room," he said. "We must be ready for battle." Emmeline was excited to get out of Loki's room. They had been sitting in there for a while.

"Alright," she said. She took Loki's hand and the guard led them to a room full of weapons and people in protective suits, and Sif and the Warriors Three along with Thor were present. Thor smiled when they entered.

"Emmeline, I'm so glad you're alright," Thor said, greeting Emmeline with a hug.

"Control yourself brother," said Loki. "Keep your eyes on Jane Foster." Thor laughed.

"Loki my brother, don't be jealous. You have nothing to worry about." Emmeline smiled at Loki.

"I'm not jealous," he said defensively. Emmeline squeezed his hand.

"Emmeline, you can train with Lady Sif," said Thor. "I will take Loki."

"I love you," Emmeline said to Loki before they separated. She kissed him quickly and he smiled after her.

"I love you more," she heard him mutter as she walked over to Sif. She smiled to herself.

When Emmeline approached her, Sif was twirling her double-bladed sword as if she was fighting an opponent.

"Thor says I am to train with you," said Emmeline when Sif acknowledged her.

"Alright then," Sif replied. "Let's see what you've got." Emmeline wasted no time and froze Sif in place up to her neck. Sif gasped, and Emmeline quickly melted the ice. Sif looked at her uneasily.

"I see you need no weapon," she said. "Maybe it would better suit you to learn stealth; to learn how to not get stabbed." She smirked. "Come with me."

Sif led Emmeline to where Volstagg and Hogun were training, and addressed them.

"Gentlemen," she said. "Your worthy opponent." She gestured to Emmeline.

"What?" Emmeline said, turning to Sif.

"Don't attack this time, just dodge and watch your back," Sif replied. "Watch what I do." Hogun began fighting Sif and when he threw a blow, she ducked and swung the wooden part of her double-bladed sword into Hogun's legs, causing him to fall over and Sif held her sword at his neck. She looked at Emmeline.

"See? You have to have your eyes all around you so that you can see any attackers coming at you. And you must have swift reflexes. Volstagg," said Sif, gesturing for Volstagg to strike Emmeline. Volstagg hesitated.

"You don't look well…" he said. Emmeline raised her eyebrows and held a flame in front of his face.

"Just swing it," she said with a proud smile. Volstagg smiled back at her and swung a wooden staff at her. She ducked and used her leg to knock Volstagg's legs out from under him.

"Maybe I don't have to teach you much after all," said Sif. Emmeline smiled, and looked over to the other side of the room where Loki was training. He was fighting a man in a protective suit, and the man tried to hit him when Loki flipped around and grabbed him by his neck, throwing him across the room as hard as he could. Emmeline let out a sigh. Seeing him fight was a turn on.

She also saw Thor reprimand Loki about actually hurting the trainers and laughed to herself when Loki rolled his eyes. She looked over at Sif who was engaged in battle with Volstagg and Hogun, and decided to go off by herself to see Loki.

"Hello love," said Loki as he knocked a trainer to the ground with his fist. He turned around and smiled at Emmeline.

"How is your training going?" he asked.

"Good," she said. "And may I say you look extremely hot beating the shit out of people." Loki smiled.

"You like that?" he asked. Emmeline nodded and put her hand in his. "Well then we will have quite the celebration once the battle is won." He looked at her and smiled mischievously.

After training was over for the day, guards escorted Loki and Emmeline back to Loki's room and he shut the door after them.

Emmeline suddenly felt her armor vanishing off of her. She looked up at Loki, who was smiling mischievously at her again. She smiled back at him.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"What you wanted," Loki replied, putting his hands on her waist. He pulled her into him and kissed her.

"You were so alluring when you were fighting Volstagg…" he said. "I was watching you too." He pressed his hands into her back and Emmeline felt wonderful. She loved him so much; kissing him felt like heaven. She could have kissed him forever.

"May I tell you something…undisclosed?" said Loki, holding Emmeline in his lap as he sat on a chair.

"You mean like a secret?" said Emmeline, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his neck. "Yes."

"I've had no woman before you." Emmeline sat up and looked at him; his eyes staring intently into hers. "I mean it. And you never cease to amaze me. Your caress is my weakness."

Emmeline pressed her forehead to Loki's and closed her eyes.

"You are and always have been my only one," she whispered.

"Promise me," Loki whispered back, lifting her up while she was still taken in his embrace.

"I promise."

Loki kissed her again, and suddenly Emmeline felt something change. Loki sighed quickly and let go of her.

"I'm sorry; I can't," he said.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You started it." Loki didn't acknowledge her question right away; he looked far away for a moment. "Loki? Loki what's going on? Are you okay?" He snapped out of his trance and fixed his gaze back on Emmeline.

"Nothing darling," he said, emotionlessly.

"You kind of…killed the mood there."

"My apologies," he said. "But I am very tired." Something wasn't right; Emmeline could sense it. But she let Loki go to bed without any questions.

* * *

"Stark, I don't have time for this. What do you mean they're gone?" said Agent Coulson. "Are you playing a joke, because we don't respond to that very well here."

"No. I mean they're gone Phil. Literally beamed up into nowhere. Come on, I'll show you." Tony led Agent Coulson into the surveillance room and showed him the cameras. "Do you see them anywhere? I don't think so. Look." Tony looked at the footage on the computer and went back to a couple minutes ago. He played the moment they disappeared and looked back at Coulson.

"Oh," he said. "You're right. They're gone."

"Good. We've established this."

"We've got to tell Fury," Coulson replied. Tony followed him out of the surveillance room.

"He's not going to be very thrilled," he said as they made their way to Fury's office.

"Mr. Fury sir," said Coulson as he entered the office. "We have a situation." Fury stood up and walked over to Tony and Coulson.

"What kind of situation?" he said.

"Romeo and Juliet are gone," said Tony. "This beam of light just took Reindeer Games up to Asgard or whatever and he grabbed Red on his way out."

"Well as long as he isn't down here we don't have to worry about it," said Fury. "But make sure if he comes back we know about it."

"Yes sir," replied Coulson.

"But what about Emmeline?" said Tony. Coulson turned to him.

"There's nothing we can do," he said.

"I wasn't asking you, Phil!"

"There's nothing we can do," repeated Fury, shutting his door. Tony sighed in frustration.

That night, Tony retreated to Stark tower, where Pepper was waiting for him. She put her arms around his neck as he sat on the couch.

"I missed you today," she said. Tony leaned his head back to kiss her.

"Me too," he said. "Is there champagne in the kitchen?"

"Rough day?" asked Pepper on her way to the kitchen.

"Yeah," Tony replied. Pepper brought champagne for the both of them and sat next to him on the couch.

"What happened?" Tony took a sip of his champagne and turned to Pepper.

"I got assigned to watch Reindeer Games and Mrs. Hot and Cold on camera today."

"Reindeer Games, is that what you call him?" said Pepper, laughing. Tony smiled at her.

"He has that big hat with the antlers on it!" he said. Pepper smiled.

"Go on," she said.

"Thank you. Anyway, so they were chillin' in their house, and all the sudden, this bright beamy thing comes down and snatches up Loki and Emmeline. So…they're gone. Up in Asgard or wherever he came from. It doesn't sound like a big deal…but I don't know, I'm worried about her."

"But Loki loves her, doesn't he?" said Pepper, finishing off her glass of champagne.

"Yeah, but the last time she came back from Asgard, she was burning to death." Pepper put her arms around his neck.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," she said. "You need to relax." Tony closed his eyes and kissed Pepper, letting her take away his stress.

"You always make me feel better," he said.

* * *

Battle was approaching. This time Asgard would invade the Chitauri realm so no more Asgardian blood would be shed. But Thor worried about Loki. Thor did not completely trust his brother. Loki could betray him; and Thor knew he would be considering it. But what could he do? And would Emmeline go along with him?

Thor decided that the best plan would be to talk to Emmeline. Because if Loki had a plan, chances were she knew about it. He would go to his father and get Emmeline away from Loki for a while to ensure the safety of Asgard.

"I am worried about Loki," said Thor, approaching his father on the balcony in his chambers.

"As am I," replied Odin, without turning to address Thor. Thor stood next to his father.

"What if he betrays us?" he said. Odin looked down, and then at his son.

"We must be prepared. If he betrays us, he will be returned to prison. Such a crime is worthy of execution, but…for the sake of his mother, I cannot."

"What of Emmeline? If Loki has a plan, she would know of it."

"Are you suggesting we interrogate her of Loki's schemes?" asked Odin.

"I believe it would be wise," Thor replied.

"What makes you think she would tell us?"

"…She loves Loki, but she cares for me as well. She cares for the innocent people of Asgard."

"Do what you feel is right. But…make sure she knows that if she betrays Asgard, I will throw Loki in prison, but I will not have such mercy for her."

"Yes father," said Thor. He left Odin's chambers to find Emmeline.


	11. Chapter 11

**(Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Please review! Feedback rocks my socks people!)**

Chapter 11

"I've told you," said Emmeline, irritably. "I know nothing. If Loki has a plan, I don't know it. Can I leave now?"

"Surely he must have shared something with you," said Thor, determined. Emmeline stood up and banged her hands on the table they had been sitting at, filled with rage not entirely caused by Thor.

"Why do you automatically assume that he plots against you? Can't he just be happy to fight alongside his brother and save his people from the harsh rule of monsters?" Thor stood up as well, her anger swaying his.

"How do you expect me to trust him? After all he has done!" he retorted.

"I don't! I expect you to love him and treat him as your brother. Not as a science experiment." Thor sighed.

"Why are you so angry?" he asked, his tone softer.

"That is not of your concern," she said. "…I'm worried about him. Now let me go." Thor nodded to a guard to allow Emmeline to leave the room and return to Loki's chambers.

Ever since the night after training, Loki had been different. He had distanced himself from her for a strange reason Emmeline could not figure out. It agitated her; she felt as if he wasn't telling her something. And if that was the case, she wanted to know. When she returned to Loki's chambers, he was sitting in a chair, looking as if he was deep in thought.

"Loki," said Emmeline.

"Yes," he replied, lazily looking up at her.

"Something is wrong with you," she said. "What is it?"

"I know not of anything wrong with me love," he said. "I am simply thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Battle is drawing nearer," he said. "One must think quite a bit before then." Emmeline was not satisfied at all. This worried her even more.

"Loki, please! Are you sick? There is something you aren't telling me, and I want to know what it is. You can't simply detach yourself from me and expect me not to notice. I know you better than that. Now tell me what is wrong." Loki shot her an irritated look.

"I am _fine_, Emmeline," he said, rather harshly, as if he was hissing at her. The look he gave her was dangerous; it frightened her a little.

"The Chitauri have my scepter," he said, however it didn't sound like he was talking directly to her. "And I will be getting it back."

* * *

The day had come. Thor and his army of Asgardian warriors—which included Loki and Emmeline—would travel to the Chitauri realm and end the war they had started. Odin had gathered them all into the observatory in front of the bifrost to be taken to the Chitauri realm.

Odin stood in front of the crowd of warriors upon the golden platform, looking down at all of them with authority.

"Today," he started, his voice booming throughout the room, "the war with the Chitauri will end. We will fight with our greatest efforts. Some of us will fall; but with the knowledge that our honor will be preserved. We are Asgard, mother of the nine realms, and we will see a victory." The warriors cheered, and Thor looked over at Loki, who had a mischievous smile on his face. This worried Thor.

Odin ordered Heimdall to push the golden sword into the pedestal, opening the bifrost. It took the Asgardian army into its vortex, and as soon as they were dropped into the Chitauri realm; the war began. Warriors rushed forward, toward the Chitari palace and the soldiers that came out of the shadows. Thor ran out to the battlefield with Mjolnir, swinging it at Chitauri soldiers and looking around for Sif and the Warriors Three. Over his shoulder, Thor could see Emmeline throwing her fire at soldiers and freezing some, shattering them with one kick. Loki was fighting alongside her, stabbing soldiers and kicking them to the ground.

Thor made his way over to Loki and Emmeline to fight with them. He heard Emmeline call out to him.

"Thor! Take this one!" she said, thrusting her fire at a soldier. When he had caught on fire, Thor swung Mjolnir at him and smashed him into the ground. Loki tried to fight close to Emmeline; Thor could see he was trying to make sure she didn't get hurt again.

Just then, the whales began to come out. They flew up in the sky, dipping down to take out Asgardian soldiers. Thor turned his attention toward one that he realized was about to dip down and take out Sif. Thor whipped Mjolnir around and it flew him in Sif's direction. Right before the whale touched the ground, Thor grabbed Sif and flew into the side of a mountain. He set her down.

"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile as she hopped off to fight with Volstagg. Thor saw many Chitauri soldiers coming at him and suddenly Loki was at his side; his back against Thor's.

"I'll cover your back," he said, attacking the soldiers with Thor. One soldier came up to Thor that was bigger than all the others. He threw Thor to the ground, and before he could strike him, Loki drove a dagger into the side of his head. He gave Thor his hand and pulled him up.

"Where is Emmeline?" Thor asked him. Loki smiled.

"She has a brilliant plan," he said. "In fact, you may need to get above ground. Come," Loki said. He led Thor to a mountain and climbed up the side. As soon as they were on top, Thor saw Emmeline completely envelope herself in flames. She waved her hands over the ground and her fire spread across the battlefield, setting Chitauri soldiers on fire as it came to them. The soldiers of the Asgardian army were fleeing into the Chitauri palace, and once they had all made it out of her flames' harm, she blocked the palace entrance for the Chitauri soldiers. She walked slowly through the battlefield, watching Chitauri soldiers burn.

"She is magnificent," said Loki, watching her. Thor looked at Loki, and Loki slowly turned his head to Thor. Suddenly Thor saw Loki's horned helmet and Chitauri scepter appear on him. Loki smiled at Thor mischievously and whacked him with his scepter, causing his brother to fall. Loki stood over him menacingly.

"You were a fool to let me join this battle," said Loki, smirking. "Certainly you must have known I would betray you brother." Thor got up and held his hand out for Mjolnir.

"I don't want to fight you brother!" said Thor. "But I will if it comes to that." Mjolnir landed in his hand.

"If you care for your life you will have to," said Loki. He quickly turned around; seeing that Emmeline had turned off her flames when all the Chitauri soldiers had fallen. Then to Thor's horror, Loki extended his hand and a green glow illuminated from it, turning off the illusion of the dead soldiers. On the battlefield stood the Chitauri soldiers; alive. Loki addressed them when they looked to Emmeline, who was equally horrified.

"Don't touch the woman!" Loki commanded. "She is not an enemy." Thor saw Emmeline flash Loki a look of fury. She didn't know. She told Thor the truth. Loki turned back to Thor, his scepter glowing blue.

"My most sincere apologies," said Loki. "I have never been one for sentiment."

Loki swung his scepter at Thor, and Thor used Mjolnir to fly into the Chitauri palace, in an empty throne room. Loki followed him quickly.

"You cannot run from this, brother!" he said, rearing back to strike him again. Thor held Mjolnir up, ready to retaliate. But as Loki swung at Thor, Emmeline appeared.

"Loki don't hit him!" she exclaimed. She ran in front of Thor before Loki could attack him again and thrust her fire at him. It sent Loki to the other end of the room and he struggled to get off of the floor. He glanced up at Emmeline.

"Enough!" Emmeline yelled with authority, looking to both of them. "Thor, take your army back to Asgard. I wish to speak with Loki alone." Thor nodded and left to do as she said.

* * *

"This was not the plan, Loki!" Emmeline yelled. He looked at her intently.

"But don't you understand?" he said. "I have an army. We can go there now; to Asgard, and I can take the throne. I can imprison Odin and banish Thor to Midgard where his beloved Jane Foster resides! This is what we wanted!" Emmeline shook her head.

"No Loki. This is what you wanted…apparently. I didn't even know this is what you wanted! Funny, I thought you actually wanted to help your brother. How foolish of me. Why didn't you tell me?" Loki gave her an irritated look.

"Must I tell you everything?" he said.

"Yes, Loki! I have given myself completely to you; why can't you do the same? Why are you so detached? I followed you in everything, I never questioned you—"

"—You distracted me! Don't you understand; this was supposed to be my goal from the beginning, before I even gave notice to your glorious existence! And now you're ruining it; like every other plan. …Well not this time. You will no longer be a distraction to me and my goals." Emmeline looked at him with horror. Why was he being this way?

"What are you saying?" said Emmeline, his words piercing her heart. Loki turned away from her.

"I am saying…leave this place. Leave me alone," he said. Emmeline looked at him coldly, but with a fiery surge of emotion as her heart broke.

"Very well," she said, her voice shaking softly. "If that's what you want. Goodbye Loki. But I hope you know that…your empire will fall. And I will not be there to comfort you." Emmeline turned away from him and went outside to call to Heimdall; fighting the tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Loki did not understand what just happened. He had formulated a brilliant plan just as soon as he had felt his scepter calling to him. A perfect way to seize the throne. Why hadn't Emmeline been happy? Why did she want him to tell her? One does not share their plans of treason. But as Emmeline left the Chitauri palace, Loki felt an excruciating pain. A pain unlike any he had felt before. How had this happened? But he decided that this was the last time he would care. Why had he allowed himself to care about her when he knew full well that she would go away one way or another? He was a fool; and he would not let it happen again.

Loki stood outside the Chitauri palace and addressed his army.

"In recompense for the salvation of your people," he said, projecting his voice, "I only require that you journey with me to Asgard, to overthrow the Allfather Odin and help me regain my rightful place as king."

Loki used his scepter to transport him and his army to Asgard. They appeared on the rainbow bridge. Loki turned to face his army.

"Ravage the palace," he said, almost trembling with excitement at his own words. "Leave nothing but Odin and Thor." The army of Chitauri marched in the direction of the palace to do as they were told.

Loki stood still on the bifrost. His dream; his goal he had worked for his entire life was about to be achieved.

…So why wasn't he happier? He was, in fact…unhappy. It couldn't possibly be Emmeline. He'd dreamt of this day before even meeting her, and it was because of this that he met her in the first place. So what was it that was driving him to this state of dissatisfaction?

Loki was not going to let this keep him from reveling in his long-awaited success. He pushed this bothersome feeling to the back of his head and started for the palace to see his army's good work.

When he arrived at the front of the palace, he stopped a soldier from flying in with a hovercraft and commanded the soldier give it to him. The soldier did as he was told and ran on foot into the palace. Loki stood upon the hovercraft and flew it above the palace so he could watch its demise from a bird's eye.

Screams and the clanging of swords were the sounds coming from the palace as Loki watched from above. He smiled to himself as he heard the sound of chains. Loki flew the hovercraft down and stepped off of it, slowly walking into the palace.

There was violence and bloodshed going on everywhere between the palace guards and Chitauri soldiers. Loki looked around as he made his way to the throne room. When he entered, two Chitauri soldiers were holding Odin down, bounding him with chains. Loki smiled mischievously at his adoptive father.

"Well well, this is something I never thought I would see," said Loki, pacing around Odin with his hands behind his back. "The great Allfather Odin, defeated, bound with chains at the feet of his Frost Giant son. You have fallen a long way since this morning." Odin looked at Loki angrily, but with a hidden sadness; not saying a word. Loki knelt down to Odin.

"What's wrong, _Father_?" Loki whispered mockingly. "Are you so quickly speechless?" Odin still said nothing. Loki stood up and raised his chin in authority.

"Take him to the prison," Loki ordered the soldiers. "I must find my brother." The Chitauri soldiers nodded and took Odin away. Loki stood in place, listening for the sound of Thor's mighty yell. He heard it in what he thought was the banquet room.

Loki stood in the doorway of the banquet room and crossed his arms, watching Thor fight off his soldiers. He smirked to himself. Loki sighed loudly.

"You might want to put the hammer down," said Loki. Thor turned around to face his brother, anger written in his face.

"Loki!" he said. "Stop this right now!" Loki laughed, lifting his scepter.

"You're too late brother," he said. "Asgard is already mine." Loki blasted Thor with his scepter, causing him to fly across the room and drop Mjolnir. Loki commanded his soldiers to capture Thor before he could run back for his hammer. It took four soldiers to hold Thor in place and Loki smiled while Thor glared.

"Without that, brother," Loki said, gesturing to Mjolnir, "you are nothing." He nodded to the Chitauri soldiers to take Thor to the prisons.

Loki walked through the corridors of the Asgardian palace that was now his. His dream would come true. He would rule. He smiled to himself, but felt a twinge of sadness. There was something missing.

* * *

With tears streaming down her face, Stark tower was the only place Emmeline knew she could go. Tony was the only person she wanted to see. He would understand her. After Loki had bid her to leave, she commanded Heimdall to send her home to Earth. She had no reason to stay in Asgard any longer.

She stood in front of Tony's front door after ringing the doorbell, and Pepper answered the door, quickly frowning when she saw Emmeline's face.

"Oh honey what's wrong?" she asked, bringing Emmeline inside. Emmeline couldn't control her sobs and Pepper sat her on the couch and called for Tony.

"What's going on? Who's crying?" Tony said, walking into the living room with a small glass of Scotch.

"Emmeline," said Pepper, patting Emmeline's back. "I don't know what's wrong." Tony sat his Scotch on the table and sat next to Emmeline. He put his elbows on his knees and looked at her.

"What's the matter Red?" he asked. Emmeline tried to stop crying to look at Tony and Pepper.

"Loki…" she said. "We broke up…"

"That son of a bitch," said Tony, putting his arms around Emmeline.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" asked Pepper.

Emmeline told them about the war against the Chitauri and how Loki had resurrected the soldiers with his illusions and fought with Thor. She even told them of their argument.

"He said you were a _distraction_?" said Pepper. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know!" Emmeline sobbed. "I think he meant I was in the way of his plans."

"Well those are some messed up plans," said Tony. "If it helps, I always thought you were too good for Reindeer Games anyway." Emmeline tried to smile.

"Thanks you guys," she said. "I'm sorry to just bust in like this."

"No it's completely okay, you had a good reason," said Pepper. "Do you need somewhere to stay?"

"No it's okay," said Emmeline. "I'll go to the Moscow house."

"I'll fly you there," said Tony, standing up.

"It's alright, I already hate that I ruined you're evening," said Emmeline, realizing that it had been rude of her to just bust in their house in tears.

"You didn't, I'm glad you came to us. It's no problem Red, I swear," Tony replied. "I'll be back, Ms. Potts." Pepper smiled and waved goodbye to him.

"Jarvis," said Tony, summoning his Iron suit. Emmeline watched as the suit attached itself to him piece by piece. Once the suit had fully assembled, Tony grabbed Emmeline by her waist and flew her out the window.

A couple minutes went by and Emmeline still had her eyes closed. Tony flew fast and she was already a little nauseous.

"If you start to get queasy or anything I'll go slower," said Tony through his microphone in his suit. "Vomit would ruin the suit." Emmeline opened her eyes to look at him and smiled at his humor.

When they had arrived at Loki's house in Moscow, Tony gently put Emmeline on the ground in front of the door.

"Thanks Tony," she said.

"No problem," he said. "If you need anything, just call. I'll see you on the flip side." He saluted her and she smiled as he flew out of sight. Emmeline entered the house and went straight to the bedroom. She stood in the doorway, remembering the last time she was here. With Loki. She couldn't sleep there without thinking about him, she decided. So she slept on the couch that night.


	12. Chapter 12

**(Author's Note: So sorry this took so long! But luckily, I've written two chapters so I will be uploading two, and Chapter 14 is halfway done. :) I know it's a little frustrating right now, but...don't worry. That's all I can say. Enjoy, and even though I've said this a billion times, REVIEW!)**

Chapter 12

_Your hearts a mess_

_You won't admit to it_

_It makes no sense_

_But I'm desperate to connect_

_And you, you can't live like this_

**Hearts A Mess - Gotye**

Asgard had been taken over. Odin and Thor were rotting in prison, the civilians were giving in to subjugation, and the Allfather's staff/scepter was given to—or taken by—Loki. He had even put metal capsules over Thor's hands so he could not summon Mjolnir. Loki had everything he'd ever wanted. But something was bothering him. Loki wasn't going to pretend he didn't know what that something was. It was Emmeline.

She should be ruling by his side, sitting on his knee on the throne of Asgard. Why hadn't she gone with him? Why was she so angry? Loki knew she cared about Thor—he shuddered at the thought of it—and the rest of Asgard, but he didn't think it would tear her from him. He knew he should be angry with her, but instead of anger he just felt sadness. Loki figured the only way to be completely happy would be to forget about her. Focus on his growing empire.

Loki made his way to the prisons stopping in front of Thor's cell. He sat on the bed, his hands contained in confining shackles. Thor turned to Loki, glaring at him.

"Looks like the situation has switched now, hasn't it brother?" said Loki with a condescending smile. "Don't worry, you will not have to stay here much longer. I will be banishing you to Midgard to be with your beloved Jane Foster." Thor banged his shackles on the window.

"You stop this Loki!" he said. "Return Asgard to father!" Loki laughed.

"You think anything you say will make me surrender? Odin is not my father; I owe him nothing. And considering how much you love Ms. Foster, I thought you would be quite delighted. You can live as a mortal for the rest of your miserable life; I think I am being considerably generous."

"And what of father?" asked Thor, keeping his glare at Loki.

"Odin will remain here in prison until his death," Loki replied.

"Loki please," Thor said, tears in his eyes. "Stop this madness. You're my brother; we grew up together. We can stop this together."

"Stop what? I intend to bring peace Thor. No one is fighting or getting hurt. I'm doing a marvelous job, much to your surprise I'm sure. I don't understand what all the fuss is about. So be quiet as Heimdall sends you to your woman." Thor said nothing more, and Loki had guards take him out of his cell and into the observatory.

"Heimdall, open the bifrost. I am your king; you must obey me now." Heimdall looked at Loki for a minute, unwilling to do his bidding, but Loki gave him a stern look. "Heimdall!"  
"Yes…your majesty," he said. As Heimdall pushed his sword into the pedestal, Loki looked at Thor who was standing in front of the bifrost.

"Thor Odinson," he said. "I hereby banish you to the realm of Midgard for being a danger to the king's rule and a disgrace of Asgard. Goodbye brother." Heimdall opened the bifrost.

"Loki—Heimdall please!" Thor shouted as the bifrost took him into its vortex. Loki stared at the spot his brother once was and slowly turned around. Heimdall was looking at him.

"You would banish your own brother," he said.

"Silence," replied Loki. "He is not my brother."

* * *

Emmeline sat at the table in the meeting room of S.H.I.E.L.D. with her arms crossed. Fury had called her in. She supposed he had heard about the split between her and Loki. When Fury came into the meeting room, he had Agents Barton and Romanoff with him. All three of them sat opposite to Emmeline.

"I suppose you're wondering why we called you here Ms. Collins?"

"I think I have a general idea," she said.

"Oh? And what exactly is that 'general idea'?" asked Fury.

"You're going to put me in prison," she replied.

"On the contrary," said Fury. "I was informed about the falling out between you and Loki. First off, let me say that I'm sorry. Secondly, I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to reenter the Avengers." Emmeline was confused.

"Really? You want me to be an Avenger again? After everything that happened?"

"It would be a shame to squander your intense power," Fury replied calmly, as always. "We believe in second chances." Emmeline looked at Barton and Romanoff; Barton giving her a little smile.

"Look Nick," she said. "If this is some kind of trick to get to Loki or something, I don't want to be a part of it. After all I've been through, just please spare me the heartache. …I've had enough of it already."

"No Ms. Collins, I assure you I am completely serious. This is an opportunity to go back to the way things were before…you-know-who." Emmeline paused and looked at them, thinking. After a few seconds, she un-crossed her arms.

"Alright," she said. "I'll rejoin." _I've got nothing better to do_, she thought.

"Good," said Fury. He nodded to her and left, with Romanoff closely following. Barton stayed behind and looked at Emmeline.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I mean…you loved him didn't you?" Emmeline tried not to cry.

"Yes I loved him…and yes, I'm okay." Clint patted her hand.

"If you don't mind me asking—you don't have to answer if you don't want to—why did you guys break up?" he asked. Emmeline sighed.

"He sabotaged the Asgardian war with the Chitauri. He didn't tell me so I went to talk to him about it and we started yelling at each other. I realized…he was more dangerous than I thought. I thought he really wanted to help Thor. I guess I just thought he was less of a psychopath. But he wasn't…and he told me I was a distraction and told me to leave. So…I did." Clint paused briefly for a moment, soaking all that in.

"I'm sorry Emmeline," he said. "But maybe it's best now, because you know that he's a psycho, it will be easier for you to move on." Emmeline tried to smile.

"Yeah," she said, although she knew that wasn't the case. Emmeline worried about herself, because she knew she was okay with it. She loved the psychopath. But Clint was right. She needed to move on.

* * *

Days passed. Thor was gone. Odin was in prison. Everything Loki had planned worked out perfectly. But he was still unhappy. Depressed, in fact. He had become so depressed he couldn't eat. Servants would bring him his food every day and he would wave it away. He couldn't sleep either. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes would stay open. He eventually made himself sick. There were dark purple circles around his eyes, and he was paler than normal. He was weak as well. That irritated him. How could he be respected as a king when his hand shook every time he picked something up? But he just couldn't get her out of his head. She was in his head, his heart, his veins…he missed her. But he could do nothing to bring her back. He couldn't go to Midgard, he wouldn't know what to say to her. There was nothing he could say. In a way he was angry at her. Why hadn't she just complied with him? She had to go and protest, ultimately ruining his life. But that anger never lasted. It just faded back into depression.

He sat on his throne, his scepter in hand. No one was around, and everything was quiet. Normally Loki would enjoy the serenity. However, it didn't last long. Soon, several guards entered with four people in chains.

"Your majesty, we found these four denouncing your name as king. They pledge their allegiance to your brother and tried to rally the peasants." Loki glared at the guards as they threw Sif and the Warriors Three down at his feet. Sif looked up at Loki with hatred.

"You know Thor is the rightful king!" she yelled. Loki walked up to her and slapped her hard.

"You slag!" he yelled.

"What's wrong Loki? You don't look well," said Sif mockingly.

"Silence! You are all of you beneath me! Guards, throw them in prison, separate cells!" The guards did as they were told and Loki screamed as loud as he could when they had left. He cringed at the pain in his stomach and sat back down. He suddenly became very hot and started to sweat. He felt as if he would vomit. A servant girl came into the throne room with a plate of food. Loki held his hand up.

"I know your majesty doesn't want it," said the servant in a small voice. "But if you don't mind me saying so, you don't look well, my king."

"I'm fine!" Loki roared. "Why is it so blistering hot in here?!"

"I think you're sick, your majesty—"

"—I'm not sick! You're opinion was never asked for. If it bothers you so, leave the food here, and I will choose whether to eat it or not."

"Yes your majesty. But if I may, I suggest—"

"—Out!" The servant girl scurried away. Loki leaned back and sighed, trying to fight the heat. Although it seemed like no one else was smoldering as he was. Maybe he was sick. Loki decided he needed just a bit of reassurance. He got up and made his way to the observatory and stood next to Heimdall.

"Can you see her?" asked Loki. Heimdall looked at him, and then back at the stars.

"Yes," he replied.

"Is she alright?"

"Yes. She is reunited with her friends." Loki looked down. _The Avengers_, he thought. _But she is so high above them!_

"Are you alright…_my king_?" asked Heimdall, almost shuddering at the title. "You don't—"

"—I don't look well, I know. I assure you, I am fine." Loki said this, only he had realized that he was not fine. He was not fine at all.

* * *

Thor had been dropped in the middle of Midgard, with no knowledge whatsoever of where to go or where to find Jane. He looked around, searching for any sign of humans, and he set his sights on a small structure labeled "7 Eleven". Thor stood up and realized he was in Midgardian clothing. But it wasn't the first time this had happened. He ran into the 7 Eleven and approached a man standing at the counter.

"Earthling!" greeted Thor. "Where may I find the realm of New Mexico?"

"Sir…you're in New Mexico," said the cashier. "This is Puente Antigua."

"At least my brother has helped me in some way," said Thor to himself. He addressed the cashier. "Thank you, citizen."

"No problem," the man replied, giving Thor an odd look as he left. Thor ran out the door and then ran back in.

"Wait! Do you know where to find Jane Foster?"

"Nope. Sorry bro," the man replied.

"That's quite alright…but my name is Thor."

"Well I meant…never mind." Thor raced out of the 7 Eleven and started running to where he knew Jane's lab was—if his memory served him.

Luckily, some of the scenery in New Mexico became familiar to Thor and he found the location of Jane's lab. Despite being banished while his brother had stolen the throne of Asgard, Thor was excited to see her. He busted into the door to find Dr. Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis standing in front of a desk.

"Thor!" exclaimed Darcy. "Oh my God, Jane's gonna freak! You look good, been working out?"

"Ah, my friends," said Thor. "Good to see you." He hugged Darcy and Erik. "Where is Jane?"

"She's talking with some S.H.I.E.L.D. girl that came here out of nowhere," said Darcy. "It's funny, 'cause she was talking like she knew you and stuff. Apparently the S.H.I.E.L.D. people sent her to recruit Jane or something. They wanna get into contact with your Asgert."

"Asgard."

"Yeah whatever."

"She spoke of me?"

"Yeah," said Erik. "If you want to see her, her and Jane are in the kitchen."

"Thank you," Thor said. He entered the kitchen to see Jane and Emmeline sitting at the breakfast table.

"Emmeline?" said Thor, and Emmeline looked at Thor.

"Thor?" she said. Jane jumped out of her chair.

"Thor!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much!" She kissed him and then slapped him. "What took you so long?"

"Problems at home," he replied.

"Thor, what are you doing here? Did…did Loki send you here?"

"He did."

"Wait what? You know her?" asked Jane. "I'm confused."

"Me too," said Darcy walking in. "But that's most of the time."

"Alright, everybody sit down and I'll explain everything," said Thor. Jane, Darcy, Erik Selvig, and Emmeline pulled up chairs to the kitchen table and sat, ready to listen to Thor.

"Alright, so you all know my brother Loki," began Thor. The three Midgardians nodded. "Loki kidnapped Emmeline when she joined the Avengers because she was protecting the Tesseract. Do you follow?" Jane and Erik nodded. Darcy just sat there. Thor continued. "To shorten a very long story, Emmeline fell in love with Loki and Loki fell in love with her." Jane, Darcy, and Erik all stared at Emmeline with wide eyes. She smiled and shrugged. Thor continued again. "Eventually Loki and Emmeline stole the Tesseract and gave it to the Chitauri, which is what caused the attack on New York and the war on Asgard. Loki didn't know they would go for Asgard as well, so he planned to help and after being imprisoned and Emmeline almost perishing, both of them fought the war in Asgard. However, Loki sabotaged it which caused he and Emmeline to separate. He took over Asgard himself, banished me, and imprisoned my father. Which brings us to this moment."

Jane, Darcy, and Erik sat at the table with their mouths hanging open. Thor and Emmeline looked at them, waiting for their response.

"Well," said Jane. "That's a lot to take in." Darcy chimed in.

"So what you're saying is that you're here because you're banished, and Emmeline is here because…"

"I rejoined the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.," said Emmeline. "They want to recruit Jane."

"This has nothing to do with pretty boy?"

"No."

"Oh okay. I get it. Jane?"

"Um, yeah. I think so," said Jane. "I'm not joining S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Fair enough," said Emmeline. Thor stood up and took Jane in his arms.

"I've missed you," he said, and kissed her.

* * *

Loki leaned back against the banquet room wall and sighed after vomiting into a bucket. He was sick. He was sick because he was out of his mind. Emmeline had driven him to insanity—if he wasn't there already. He just couldn't forget about her. He tried very hard, but she kept entering his mind, with her spectacular smile and shimmering brown eyes. If his heart wasn't broken after he learned the truth about his parentage, it was broken now, and he knew it.

He stood up and decided that the only thing to do would be to distract himself. He went into the sitting room and got out his magic books to practice. He had mastered illusions and the switching of garments on himself and other people, but he wanted to work more on shape shifting. He could do it, but it took a lot of strength and in some cases it would fade.

He looked at the runes in the book and closed his eyes, focusing on shape shifting into Thor. Once he had completed the shape shift, he opened his eyes and looked down at Thor's armor. He went to the mirror and looked at himself as Thor. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the reflection of his brother. He wanted to shape shift into something else. Could he try…Emmeline? No, it wasn't good for him. He needed to forget her. But Loki closed his eyes and shifted into Emmeline before he could tell himself not to.

He looked in the mirror at the reflection of the woman he loved; her auburn curls and long legs. She was beautiful and as Loki looked at himself as Emmeline, he noticed her expression looked sad. Because he was sad. That was when he lost it. The shape of Emmeline faded, and Loki slammed his fists against the wall as tears ran down his face. Loki screamed and raked a frustrated hand through his hair. In his agony, he heard the voice of Heimdall behind him.

"My _king_," he said, the term no more easily falling off his tongue. "Are you alright? What distresses you?" Loki turned to him, his eyes bloodshot with tear stains on his pale cheeks.

"Why can I not forget her?!" he screamed. "Why can I not be happy?!" Heimdall stood in his place and looked at Loki calmly.

"You love her," replied Heimdall. "I've known you ever since you were but a child, and you've always thought everyone below you in spite of your own insecurity and self-denial. Now you come to realize that she is not below you, that she is your equal. She was your partner, and you did not treat her as such. Therefore she challenged you and you dismissed her in fear of her ability to get in the way of your plans. You knew she had that ability because you unknowingly respect her. But now King Loki, you are sad. Do you now understand?"

Heimdall's wisdom did not surprise Loki at all, and he didn't want to admit it, but he knew he was right. Loki turned away from him, tightening his hands into fists and looking at the floor.

"What have I done? Tell me what to do," he commanded.

"Tell her how you feel. Tell her everything."


	13. Chapter 13

**(Author's Note: Chapter 13! I have to say, this one was the most fun to write. Enjoy!)**

Chapter 13

Emmeline and Jane Foster sat in Jane's kitchen to talk about Thor and Loki. Mainly Loki, because Thor had already told Emmeline all about he and Jane.

"So, you love Thor's brother because he kidnapped you?" asked Jane. Emmeline laughed.

"He did kidnap me, but he wasn't…he was sweet to me. He wasn't as bad as everyone said. I mean he was, but not without reason. I just saw his heart I guess. You know?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. Even though Thor isn't a villain, he is rather strange sometimes."

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you want to join S.H.I.E.L.D.?" asked Emmeline.

"I just want to do my research the way I want to do it. I don't want all of them butting in and messing with my methods. I've come too far."

"I can understand that." Emmeline liked Jane. She was practical, as Emmeline was. Just then, Dr. Erik Selvig came into the room.

"Emmeline, there's somebody here to see you. He looks like a S.H.I.E.L.D. guy." Emmeline stood up and walked into the living room, where Clint Barton stood, shaking hands with Darcy.

"Clint, how did you know I was here?" asked Emmeline. He turned to her and smiled.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. always has you on radar."

"That's nosy," Emmeline said, not entirely pleased with the invasion of space. Clint shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you and Ms. Foster."

"Oh, yeah, about that…" said Emmeline. "She's not coming."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't want to join. She's made her decision." Clint looked at the floor and back at Emmeline. He winced.  
"How do we tell Fury?"

"Just lay it on the table. All he can do is accept it."

"Alright then. Let's go." Clint and Emmeline said goodbye to everyone and Emmeline got in the passenger seat of Clint's Jeep.

When Emmeline and Clint arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, they ran into Agent Romanoff.

"Where's Fury?" asked Clint.

"In his office," Natasha replied. "Careful, he's in a mood." Clint winced at Emmeline. She shrugged and they continued on their way to Nick Fury's office. They stopped outside the door and Clint knocked.

"What?" said Fury from inside.

"It's about Ms. Foster sir," said Clint. Fury opened the door.

"Did you talk to her?" he asked.

"Yes sir," said Emmeline, "but she was pretty adamant in her decision to stay independent." Nick looked at her unpleasantly.

"Well isn't that just great," he said. "Keep working on it. Now go, the council is giving me bullshit on the Initiative." Clint and Emmeline nodded and Fury closed the door on them. Emmeline looked at Clint.

"What do we do now?"

"I guess we call it a day since Fury is held up. I'll take you home."

* * *

Loki had taken a few days to think over how he would tell Emmeline how he felt and try to get her back. He couldn't just go to Midgard and talk to her; it would be out of line. He wanted to know if she still thought of him. If she was as broken as he was. If she was, Loki could fix it. If she wasn't…well, Loki hadn't figured out what he would do then. That was why he planned to go there in the form of an illusion.

Loki had been practicing his magic, and had recently mastered the art of invisible illusions. Therefore he could send an illusion to Emmeline's location and watch her, while she couldn't see him or know he was there. It was the perfect way to find out if it was okay to see her for real. Loki had revealed his plan to Heimdall, and Heimdall agreed to keep the observatory in solitude while Loki was projecting his illusion. Loki almost had a newfound trust in Heimdall, for helping him sort out his feelings. There was an unspoken sign of respect between them.

Loki sat in the observatory, in front of Heimdall's golden pedestal. He looked back at Heimdall.

"Is she at the house?" asked Loki. Heimdall nodded. Loki faced forward and closed his eyes, locating his Moscow house and projecting an illusion into the bedroom. In a few seconds, Loki had successfully created an invisible illusion in the bedroom of the house. He listened for Emmeline, and heard her voice in the living room. Was she talking to someone? _It better be a woman._

He entered the living room and saw Emmeline sitting on the couch with Agent Barton from S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki recalled Heimdall saying that she had rejoined them. A twinge of jealousy hit him as he hoped they were only speaking of business matters. Loki studied Emmeline. She looked just as beautiful as she did when he last saw her. Her eyes sparkling and her gorgeous auburn curls falling perfectly on her shoulders and bouncing when she moved. He missed her more than ever. He walked around the couch and sat next to Emmeline, wishing he could touch her and let her know he was here and still loved her. But it wouldn't be right; at least not at the moment. Loki decided to listen to their conversation.

"Thanks for taking me home Clint," said Emmeline.

"No problem," said Barton. Loki studied him. He didn't like the fact that Barton was sitting so close to Emmeline. "I want to make sure you're safe." Barton put his hand on Emmeline's leg and Loki's eyes flared with anger. Emmeline smiled at him.

_Keeping her safe is my job! How dare he touch her!_

"You're a good friend," Emmeline replied. For a minute, the two of them sat there in silence, until Clint began leaning toward Emmeline. It took all the self-control Loki had to keep from murdering him at that very moment. He tightened his fists in anger. Clint leaned closer to Emmeline and closed his eyes. Emmeline backed away.

"Uh, Clint," she said uncomfortably. "…W-What are you doing?" Clint opened his eyes and sat up straight.

"Oh…" he said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I know you just broke up with…I'm sorry." He stood up and walked toward the door. "I should go, I'll see you." He exited the house awkwardly and left Emmeline sitting there with an uncomfortable expression on her face. When she stood up, Loki followed her into the bedroom and sat on the bed when she crawled in. She looked sad.

_That makes two of us_, Loki thought. He watched Emmeline sleep for a while. She was so peaceful and beautiful while she slept. She looked like an angel. Loki stood up and gave her one last look.

"Don't worry darling," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him. "Barton won't be bothering you any longer."

Loki's illusion faded, and he stood up in the observatory and whipped back to look at Heimdall.

"Send me down," he said.

"Your majesty, what are you going to do?"

"Nothing of importance to you. Just send me down now." Heimdall looked at him questionably.

"Heimdall, I am your king!" Heimdall sighed and pushed the golden sword into the pedestal, sending Loki down to Midgard as he wished.

Loki landed on he and Emmeline's porch in just enough time to see Clint Barton walking off in the distance. Loki followed him closely until they reached an apartment complex. Barton lived on the bottom floor and as soon as he unlocked and opened the door, Loki put his arm against Barton's neck and slammed him against the back wall. Barton's eyes widened when he saw who was pinning him and Loki growled through gritted teeth.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! You are a fool, an insignificant, pathetic excuse for a living being, and now I am going to make you PAY!" Barton struggled to get out of Loki's grip, but Loki pulled a knife out from his armor and stabbed him in the right of his chest. Barton fell to the ground and Loki stood over him.

"See you in Hell," he said, walking out of the apartment, leaving Barton to die.

* * *

Tony Stark stood in Barton's hospital room next to Emmeline. Nick Fury told them of his accident, so they came to see him. From Tony's knowledge, he had been stabbed and was now unconscious and in the hospital. But he would live, the doctor said.

"Who stabbed him?" asked Emmeline.

"We don't know," Tony replied. "When he didn't answer his headset call, Fury sent Agents over there and they found him on the floor. His apartment door was wide open, so maybe someone broke in."

"I feel bad," said Emmeline. "He was with me at my house before he went home; I wish I would've…I don't know."

"It's not your fault," Tony said, trying to console her. "The doctor said he would be fine anyway, so don't worry about it."

After a few minutes, the two of them exited the hospital and Tony flew them back to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Fury's calling a meeting at one," said Tony. "We better go now or we'll be late." Emmeline followed him on the way to the meeting room, and when they passed the video surveillance room, Emmeline stopped. Tony turned around.

"Tony," said Emmeline, walking into the surveillance room. "What is this?" she gestured toward the surveillance of Loki's—and now her—Moscow house. Tony knew that when he told her the truth, she would be very angry, and he also knew the depth of her power.

"That's not really relevant at the moment; let's talk about this later." He started to leave, but Emmeline grabbed his arm.

"Tony, what is this?!" she said sternly. "You put cameras in my house?"

"No, Fury ordered Romanoff to put cameras in your house. I just sat here and watched."

"You watched me?! What the Hell did you do that for? You have cameras in every room! This is an invasion of my privacy!"

"He did it because Loki was down here and he didn't want you to get hurt—"

"—Save it!" Emmeline snapped. "He did it to find out Loki's plans, didn't he? Well Loki is done with Earth anyway! You can't put cameras in someone's home, and then just watch them! I can't believe this. I can't believe this." Emmeline's hands started to spark and a few Agents left the room. "Where is he?!"

"Fury? He's in the meeting room. Emmeline, don't do anything you'll regret." She glared at him and ran out of the surveillance room with rage.

"FURY!" she screamed. Tony followed her into the meeting room and Emmeline had already set a few things on fire.

"Emmeline, sit down! What is the meaning of this?" said Fury.

"You put cameras IN MY HOUSE!" Emmeline roared. "What did you expect to see? What did you see? You can't do that!"

"We needed to watch Loki and make sure he wasn't a threat."

"He is a threat! He's always been a threat! But that doesn't matter; you don't have the right to invade someone's privacy like that!" Emmeline's whole body was practically on fire. Fury put his hands up.

"Emmeline, just calm down okay? I will explain myself to you—"

"—No! You don't have to explain anything. Now I know why you offered for me to join the Avengers with no punishments for anything; it's because you had this hanging over your shoulder, wasn't it! Well I'm done with you people; I quit!" Tony watched as Emmeline stormed out of the room, and out of S.H.I.E.L.D. A silence swept over the Avengers and Fury. Tony looked at him.

"I told you it was a bad idea."

* * *

Loki had shut his illusion off and stood in the observatory with Heimdall. They hadn't spoken to each other, but Heimdall was the first one to break the silence.

"You can't go down there killing, your majesty," he said.

"You saw what happened! He tried to kiss her!"

"You should have just gone down to her like I said. Then he wouldn't have the chance." Loki looked at Heimdall angrily, but it faded and he sighed.

"I know," he said, walking out of the observatory.

The next day, Loki entered the observatory once more and addressed Heimdall.

"I want to see her now," he said. Heimdall nodded and Loki stood in front of the bifrost. "Tell her…everything?"

"Everything," confirmed Heimdall. Loki sighed in discomfort. Being the God of Mischief and Lies, complete honesty with Emmeline would not be easy for him.

* * *

Emmeline sat on her couch and hugged her legs, anger slowly draining out of her. How could they have done that, and not tell her? They must have known how she would react, and they did it anyway. After a while Emmeline couldn't be mad anymore. She sighed and stood up, deciding she would do the dishes. Emmeline started on her way to the kitchen, and then stopped in her tracks before she reached the counter. She suddenly felt a strange aura about the house. Fear rushed through her and her muscles tensed. She didn't turn around, because just then she heard someone let out a breath, behind her on the other side of the room. But she recognized the sound.

"Emmeline…I'm so sorry," said Loki. Emmeline relaxed her muscles, but she still didn't turn around.

"Loki," she said, breathing out quickly. Her hands sparked from her previous fear but she suppressed her fire.

"You're afraid of me," said Loki in a soft voice.

"No," said Emmeline, emotions flooding into her heart. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I've made a terrible mistake," said Loki. Emmeline heard him walking toward her and he stopped when he was directly behind her. If Emmeline had turned around now, she would have ran into him.

"Just spit it out Loki; what do you want?" said Emmeline without emotion.

"I…I want you to come back," Loki said. "I've been hurt many times before. I've been stabbed and thrown and smashed…but nothing has hurt me more than your absence." Emmeline tried not to cry.

"You are the one that told me to leave," said Emmeline, walking a little distance from him and turning around to face him.

"I know. And I was…I was wrong." Emmeline looked at him. She knew he meant it, because it was a lot for Loki to admit he was wrong.

"Why?" she said, forbidding her tears to fall.

"Because I love you. I love you more than anything, and I simply cannot be happy unless you are there. So…if you can find it in your heart to forgive me; if you have any love left for me, I promise I will never let you out of my sight again. You will never be unhappy; I swear it." Emmeline couldn't hold her tears back any longer and they spilled over her cheeks. She walked up to Loki and looked at him.

"I never stopped loving you Loki," she said, her voice shaking. Loki looked at her, tears forming in his eyes.

"Please don't cry," he said. "You know what it does to me." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him; his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry…" Emmeline sniffled and buried her face in his neck. Loki held her there for a while and then let her go, looking into her eyes.

"Do you forgive me?" he said. "Will you come back?" The tears kept flowing over Emmeline's face as she nodded, taking Loki's face in her hands. She kissed him and Loki let out a sigh.

"You stabbed Clint, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Loki replied. "Is he dead?"

"No."

"Well then I suppose I don't need to apologize," he said, smiling. He wiped the tears off of Emmeline's face with his fingers.

"I will come back with you on one condition," she said.

"And what is that?" asked Loki, taking her hands in his.

"You un-banish Thor." Loki rolled his eyes.

"Honestly? You want me to allow that brute back into Asgard?"

"He's your brother," said Emmeline. "And I know you love him."

"From a distance," Loki said. Emmeline smiled and kissed him again, running her hands through his hair.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. Loki put his hands on her lower back and pulled her against him. Emmeline led him to the couch and sat in his lap as she kissed him.

"What happened while I was gone?" she asked.

"I am now the King of Asgard," said Loki. "Odin is in prison with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. The Chitauri run the palace. We are one step closer to having all nine realms in the palms of our hands." He smiled and put his hand in her hair.

"Our hands?"

"Yes. As much as I loathe sharing, for some reason I find myself longing to share my kingdom with you. I want you to be my queen."

"Your queen? Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Loki smiled at her.

"Yes. Marry me." Emmeline's hands flew up to her mouth and Loki laughed. She smiled and threw her arms around his neck.

"Well don't keep me in my misery; tell me. Will you?"

"Yes!" Emmeline exclaimed. "Yes."

* * *

_**AAAAHHHH! OMG It's so exciting. I had so much fun writing this. Chapter 14 will be out soon!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**(Author's Note: Here's Chapter 14! I'm getting through them quickly since it's summertime, but the next one may be a bit late on publishing. Also, I just wanted you all to know that I posted Chapters 12 & 13 on the same day, so if you read Chapter 13 and got confused, just go back and look at twelve. :) I'm saying that because some people are skipping Chapter 12 and it's confusing, so hopefully that clears that up. :) I apologize for the slowness of this chapter, but I promise the next one will be better. Thank you all for reading, and let me know what you think!)**

Chapter 14

Loki felt so much love and passion for Emmeline at this moment that he didn't exactly know how to channel it. He kissed her passionately and aggressively, and still it didn't feel like enough. She had him pinned on the couch, her glorious body on top of his. She was kissing him with equal aggression, her mouth open while joined with his. He put his hands in her hair and she let him take control, his tongue exploring her mouth. She moaned as he caressed her upper thigh, and she ran her fingers along his neck. Loki could feel himself sweating through his armor. He put his hands inside Emmeline's shirt and slipped it off of her. She pressed her chest against his as she kissed him and he could feel her rapid heartbeat.

She tasted of honey. Loki kissed her with force, desperate for more of the sweet poison. She amazed him. It was as if she had some sort of power over him. No matter how much he wanted to, or how much he tried, he couldn't forget about her. He needed her for his own survival, like she was air or water. He was addicted to her. He never even dreamed that he could need someone this much. He thought his heart was immune to something this strong. She was the only one that could make him truly happy. The only one that could truly hurt him.

"Use your magic," she said, kissing him again. "To take off your armor."

Loki kissed her on her open mouth and let out a groan.

* * *

"We have to," said Nick Fury. "She's a threat to us now." Tony Stark stood up with an angry look on his face.

"What, so we're just supposed to go and put her in a cage like she was never one of us? You can't do that to a person!" Fury knew Stark would be on her side. He was always on her side. That was one of the reasons Fury was skeptical about letting Stark come to S.H.I.E.L.D. But they needed him for the Avengers Initiative.

"She has the potential energy to wipe out half the country," said Agent Romanoff. "If she's not with us, we can't make sure that doesn't happen."

"Come on, you guys _know_ Emmeline! She's not going to just decide to kill everyone! Did you know that when I went to Reindeer Games' house to find out if she really did love that psycho, she stopped him from killing me? He had me in a rough spot; he could have. But she wouldn't let him. She doesn't want innocent people to get hurt. Plus, she's not even with Reindeer Games anymore. They're split. She's just mad that we spied on her. That doesn't mean she's going to go on a rage killing spree. She's not a criminal. We don't need to lock her up." Fury shook his head at Stark.

"I understand that. But the council—"

"—Screw the council! Screw them! Since when have you done what they said anyway?" Stark replied. Dr. Banner spoke up.

"Look Stark, I like Emmeline. I don't think she would just go out and kill people. But if Director Fury is thinking what I'm thinking, we aren't worried about her. It's her demigod boyfriend."

"But they broke up!"

"That doesn't mean he isn't going to come back. That doesn't mean forever. Who do you think stabbed Barton?" Dr. Banner picked up a silver dagger off the computer table. "This was the knife they found in him. Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Stark said nothing. Captain America stood up from his seat and addressed Banner and Fury.

"I'm kind of with Stark on this one, for once," he said. "If we want to hunt Loki down, fine. But we don't need to drag her into it." Fury decided it was time to put this argument to rest.

"Loki and Emmeline have established themselves as a package deal. Whether they're split up or not, they're affiliated with each other and we will treat them as such. We're going to get her and hold her in our chambers until the council decides she is no longer a threat." Stark and Rogers shared a look and Fury stood up and left the room.

* * *

As soon as Tony and Steve busted into their house, Emmeline jumped off of Loki and covered herself with a blanket.

"Oh my God!" Tony said, covering his eyes and turning around. Steve did the same. "Who leaves the door unlocked?"

"Who just waltzes into somebody's house?" said Emmeline, very embarrassed. "Loki, use your—"

"—I know," Loki said, using his magic to put his and Emmeline's clothes back on. Emmeline pushed Tony.

"What the Hell!" He and Steve turned around.

"I'm sorry," said Tony. "In my defense, I thought you guys were broken up, and we have very important information."

"Well we're not broken up anymore," said Emmeline. "We're getting married."

"What?" said Steve.

"You might want to try and save some of that for the honeymoon then," Tony remarked. "But we're here on business. You guys are in trouble."

"You Midgardians lack greatly in manners," said Loki, sitting up. Emmeline could sense some embarrassment on his part as well.

"Not cool guys," she said. "But that's over. So, what trouble are you talking about?"

"Fury is sending agents to capture you," said Steve. "Ever since you quit in a fiery fit of rage, the council has deemed you as a threat. So they want to put you in prison. And if they find out Loki is here too, most likely they'll also take him. What we're trying to say is: run."

"Aren't you going against S.H.I.E.L.D. coming here?" said Emmeline.

"Yes. But…we care about you Red," said Tony. "And you two don't have much time."

"What do we do?" asked Emmeline.

"We go to Asgard," said Loki. "They can't capture you there."

"We're going to have to get Thor," Emmeline reminded him. Loki smirked at her and sighed.

"Oh alright."

"MC Hammer is here?" said Tony.

"I banished him here," Loki replied.

"I don't understand the whole Asgard thing," said Steve. "But okay, let's go get Thor. We'll follow you guys and make sure S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't following you."

"Let's go," said Emmeline. She, Loki, Tony and Steve piled in Tony's shiny red car.

"What is this vehicle?" asked Loki. "It's quite small."

"This is a Ferrari," said Tony. "She's my baby."

"She?" Loki said. Emmeline laughed and pat Loki's leg. He looked to her. "What?"

"Okay, where's MC Hammer?" asked Tony.

"Puente Antigua, New Mexico," said Emmeline. Tony quickly looked back at her.

"Hell! Better shift this baby into maximum overdrive!" Tony pressed a button and two wings came out of the sides of the car. He pressed another button and the car began to fly. Steve looked at Tony.

"Do all Ferraris do this?" he asked.

"I made a few modifications."

Tony's Ferrari had to fly from Moscow to New Mexico, which took a while. Emmeline knew it would be challenging for Loki to sit in a car with a bunch of people for that long.

"I need sustenance," said Loki, about halfway there.

"What?" said Steve.

"He's hungry," said Emmeline. "Tony, do you have anything in here to eat?"

"I have some candy," said Tony. "Warheads." He passed the bag to Emmeline and Loki in the backseat. Loki took a green Warhead from the bag and put it in his mouth.

"Bloody Hell!" he said, spitting it out. He made a disgusted face, and Emmeline couldn't help but laugh. "That is not food! You can't possibly willingly ingest this atrocity!" Loki threw the bag back into the front seat, spilling all the candy on the floor.

"My candy! My car!" said Tony. Loki crossed his arms and sat back in his seat. Emmeline leaned on him and put her head on his shoulder. She felt Loki kiss the top of her head and she smiled. He put his arm around her and held her hand.

When they had reached New Mexico, Tony, Steve, and Emmeline got out of the car and realized Loki had fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful. Emmeline smiled at him. Tony shook Loki's shoulder.

"Wake up Reindeer Games," he said. Before he even opened his eyes, Loki grabbed Tony by his neck and stood up. When he saw what he was doing, he let go and Tony dropped to the ground.

"Oh. Sorry," said Loki. Emmeline stood next to him and held his hand as they looked at the house in front of them.

"This is it," said Emmeline.

"Alright," said Loki. "Let's get Thor and go." Loki and Emmeline knocked on the door of Jane Foster's lab, followed by Tony and Steve. Agent Coulson opened the door.

"Well well well," he said. "Beat you to it." Suddenly, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents handcuffed Loki and Emmeline. Before Tony and Steve could put up a proper fight, the two were shoved into a government car.

* * *

Loki was not thrilled about the turn of events. Although he wasn't very excited about retrieving his brother, getting captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. was worse. He had a kingdom to run; he had no time to idle about in Midgard. He and Emmeline were put into separate cells, and two agents shoved Loki in one of them and bolted the door. The cell was made entirely out of glass, and Loki had nothing to do but sit there.

"Certainly you could throw Emmeline in here with me?" said Loki to the agent.

"Fury ordered you in separate cells," the agent replied. Loki sighed in frustration.

"Can I speak with him?" he asked.

"Yes you may," said Fury, walking into the room. "Thought you could run from us, did you?" Loki smiled.

"We were doing our best," he said. "I understand why you must imprison me, but Emmeline has done nothing wrong."

"It is because of you that we have to contain her too. Luckily our cells are fireproof."

"And what do you plan to do with us?"

"We will keep you here until we can find a way to make sure neither of you will become a problem for us again." Loki raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"The longer you keep me here, the longer I will be a problem," said Loki. "At least put Emmeline in here with me."

"Why?"

"Because I love her, is that so hard to understand?"

"If you can behave yourselves, I will think about it." Fury turned around, preparing to leave.

"You have no power over me, mortal," he said. "In the end, you will kneel before me, and your entire race will be at my mercy."

"Alright, well I'll keep that in my back pocket," said Fury, as he left Loki's sight.

* * *

Emmeline sat in the glass cell with her arms around her legs. This wasn't the first time she had been contained in one of these things at least. She really wanted to be in Loki's cell with him, but she didn't complain. It's not like they would listen to her. Luckily, Tony was in the room to keep her company.

"Why couldn't they put us together?" she asked him.

"Maybe they're just afraid of the kind of situation Rogers and I witnessed a while ago," he said. Emmeline smirked.

"That wouldn't happen on purpose," she said. "Not with glass walls."

"Well thank God," he said sarcastically. Emmeline laughed. Just then, Nick Fury walked in with his hands behind his back.

"Your boyfriend wants you in there," he said.

"PLEASE Nick! I'm sorry for the whole quitting thing, and I promise we'll behave, just please let me be with him!" Nick Fury sighed.  
"I told Loki I'd think about it."

"You don't have to, I've already made the decision for you!" she said.

"Fine," he said. "But if either one of you takes one step out of line…" he trailed off. Fury called agents to take Emmeline out of her cell and lead her to Loki's. Once they opened the door, Loki stood up and met her with a hug.

"I was hoping they'd bring you in here," he said. Emmeline heard them bolt the door as Loki hugged her. They sat on the floor beside each other and leaned against the glass.

"This kind of sucks," said Emmeline.

"Yes," Loki replied. "But we'll find a way out. I can never stay in these confinements for very long." He smiled and Emmeline laid her head in his lap. She was tired.

"Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight darling."

* * *

Days passed. Although Emmeline knew Tony and Steve were doing their best to get her and Loki out of prison, she and Loki were already at work on their escape plan.

"I wish I could use my powers, but this cage is fireproof, and ice wouldn't do any good," said Emmeline.

"No," Loki replied. "A creative escape is not what we need. We need to sit here and do absolutely nothing." Emmeline looked at Loki like he was crazy.

"What?"

"I know, I'm not one to waste time, but Fury said we will be kept here until we aren't considered a threat."

"But we are a threat."

"I know that, but if we stay here contently and do not complain—"

"—They aren't stupid enough to trust us if we do that Loki."

"Can I just get a sentence in? Listen. If we behave ourselves, they will think we have a plan. Our calm will shake them. They will get on the defensive, which is their most vulnerable. Then, using my talents of manipulation, we can trick them into letting us out. There, I am done."

"I don't know…that's not very promising, but it's worth a shot I guess. So, as long as we're sitting here…what made you come back? You said I distracted you." Loki smiled at her.

"You did. You do. But it's the most wonderful kind of distraction. Before you Emmeline, I didn't think I could feel. I didn't want to. I'm still astonished at my behavior around you. I will tell myself to do or not to do something, and all those plans will go to shit because you're here. For some reason I like it. And I realized that I couldn't truly achieve what I wanted without you. I missed you." Emmeline smiled and held his hand.

"I missed you too." Loki smiled playfully and furrowed his brow.

"I think I missed you far more," he said.

"Yeah?"

"It made me physically sick; I had to sit there and vomit into a bucket in the throne room"

"Really? Gross!" said Emmeline, giggling. Loki laughed.

"I missed you too Loki."

* * *

More days went by and Loki and Emmeline carried out their plan of doing nothing. It was becoming awfully monotonous for Emmeline, but she had nothing better to do than to follow Loki's plan. She thought about their future. They were to get married. She was nervous, but she knew it was what she wanted. But something bothered her. She wanted to rule with Loki, but…Odin in prison? Thor banished? Those were things she didn't like. But she didn't know how to tell Loki. She didn't want to fight and break up again, but she wasn't the submissive type either, as much as Loki probably wanted her to be. She saw something different in him. He was in deep thought about something, and although Emmeline was curious, she thought it was best to leave it alone.

Loki didn't show Emmeline, but he had a conflict inside himself. Although it was against his nature, he couldn't help dwelling on what Heimdall had said. That Emmeline was his partner, not his puppet. Loki accepted that, but he asked himself…why? It was not in his nature to give in so easily, settle and compromise. He used to go straight for what he wanted and dispose of anyone in his way. But he couldn't do that with Emmeline. She had some sort of effect on him; she made him soft. Loki couldn't decide if that was good or bad. The confusion was what he didn't like. One side of him told him to go with impulse, get what he wanted. And he tried that, and he was unhappy. Somehow Emmeline made him happy. But if he strived for the throne his entire life, and achieved it, why did it not fulfill him? He knew he wanted Emmeline, but was that all? Was he just going to give up his dream just like that? Loki didn't know what he wanted anymore, what his goals were. He didn't understand himself. He loved Emmeline, and Emmeline loved him. And for some strange reason, he felt like…that was enough. But he still wanted the throne more than anything. How could he achieve it if Emmeline disagreed? Would he have to choose? In all truth, Loki was afraid to love Emmeline. But he couldn't stop. Nothing could make him stop. She was his weakness.


	15. Chapter 15

**(Author's Note: To be brutally honest, I'm not sure how well I did writing this chapter. It's shorter than usual, but a whole lot of stuff happens. So much stuff, that I don't know if I wrote it as well as I could. I was kind of blocked, and with Loki's complicated personality, writing from his POV was rather difficult. So please let me know if I did okay, and enjoy!)**

Chapter 15

Loki kissed Emmeline softly and slowly as she sat in his lap, him leaning on the wall of the glass cage. He moved one hand slowly up and down her back, and the other was on her face, gently caressing her soft skin with affection. Sitting and staring in the S.H.I.E.L.D. prison was growing tiresome and boring, so the two of them made an effort to enjoy one another's physical company. Loki did not kiss her with aggression as he usually did, for the sake of their location; they did not want to get too excited. Emmeline let out a soft moan as Loki slipped his tongue in between her lips, lightly sweeping against her teeth. She ran her hands through his hair and around his shoulders and back, sending a subtle shudder down his spine. He held her against his chest; even through his armor he could feel her heartbeat racing with his. It was during moments like these in which Loki was most unsure of himself. But it was no great effort for him to push that aside. All he was focused on was Emmeline; feeling her, breathing her, tasting her. He slowly lifted his head as Emmeline moved to kiss his neck as she often liked to do and he let out a sigh. He brought his head back down to meet her lips again, both synchronizing perfectly as they merged together. It was like a dance; both partners coordinating with each other in every step, every beautiful movement. Loki finally lifted his lips from Emmeline's in order to steady his breath, pressing her body gently against his and bringing his mouth to her ear. He whispered slowly to her.

"Your existence makes every miserable action in this life worth it. No matter how confused or frustrated it makes me, you are the only thing I truly want. I need you. It is a great privilege just to look at you. You make happiness possible for me. You are _mine_, and mine forever. And I am yours. All this is what I mean when I tell you I love you."

Emmeline started to say something, but Loki gently put his finger up to her mouth. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. He soon felt her lips on his again, her hands on the sides of his neck.

Loki and Emmeline didn't even realize they had been interrupted until Nick Fury raised his voice.

"Can I PLEASE have your attention?" he said with a dull expression. Loki opened his eyes and Emmeline turned around, both of them with looks of disinterest. "I understand you're busy, but there is someone here to see you." Loki's attention was diverted to the doorway, as his brother entered.

"Thor," said Loki with a sarcastic smile. "It took you long enough." Thor looked at his brother with equal sarcasm.

"As much as I'm enjoying my banishment brother, we are needed in Asgard at this time. You as well, Emmeline."

"What has happened?" asked Loki.

"In your absence, the Chitauri commander known as 'the Other' denounced your name to his people and has taken the Asgardian throne. He plans to rule all nine realms in efforts of overthrowing Thanos' power over him. He wants the power for himself." Thanos. Loki remembered that name. He shuddered at the thought of it. Thanos was the most powerful dark being in the nine realms; he gave the Other orders of leading the Chitauri. His dark realm was where Loki had landed when he had fallen off the bifrost. It was there that Loki underwent unbearable torture of the body and mind, by Thanos' hand. When he had learned of Loki's desires for power, he was the one who offered his Chitauri army in return for the Tesseract. But his intention had only been to use and deceive him, as it was now. They had agreed that once Loki took the Asgardian throne, they would share in the power. Loki had thought them fools at the time, knowing that he would be the one, true king. But they had deceived him once more, this time without Thanos.

"Those mongrels," he growled. "I will no longer make any alliances with them. I prefer to slay them all."

"That is my intention once we reach Asgard," Thor replied. "The fate of all nine realms rests in our hands."

"And what of Odin?" asked Loki.

"The Chitauri keep him contained in the prison; they plan to publicly execute him, so we must hurry."

"How do you know all this?"

"Heimdall called me with the bifrost and sent me back down to gather the both of you."

"Why brother? After all, this is my fault. I betrayed you and Asgard and stole the throne from under Odin's feet the last time you called on me. What makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't. But I know that the Other ruling the nine realms was not in your plans," said Thor. "And most of all, I know the influence of Emmeline on you. You will not make the mistake of betraying us again. However, if you do…I will kill you."

"No you won't. But I will help you for Emmeline's sake." Loki had told his brother the truth. He knew his betrayal would result in losing his brother's and Emmeline's trust, in addition of the fact that he had no reason to betray them. He did not want to see the Other ruling the nine realms any more than Thor.

"But we're in prison," Emmeline finally spoke up. "We can't go." Fury stepped up and addressed Loki and Emmeline.

"In the event of this emergency, also because it's a direct threat to our world as well, I will allow your leave. But don't screw it up." Emmeline smiled as Fury pressed the button on the control panel that opened their cell. Loki took her hand and they approached Thor.

"Let's go," said Loki.

* * *

As soon as Heimdall beamed Thor, Loki, and Emmeline into Asgard, he told them to follow him with a worried look on his face.

"Heimdall, what is it?" asked Thor.

"The public execution of your father," he replied. Emmeline gasped and looked at Loki. She could see different emotions flood his face. Fear, anger, determination, worry. But he hid quickly hid these emotions with a mask of indifference and bravery. "They took him to the gallows outside the back of the palace."

Thor bolted through the observatory in desperation to reach his father, and Loki took Emmeline's hand and followed.

"Wait!" yelled Heimdall. "Not that way!" But Thor wasn't stopping, and Loki wasn't listening. Emmeline looked back and saw Heimdall running after them, realizing he was too late when he caught up. Emmeline turned. They had been stopped by a fleet of Chitauri soldiers. The disgusting creatures hissed at the four and began attacking, Thor swinging Mjolnir on contact. Loki took out his daggers and Emmeline began freezing soldiers.

The fight was loud and blinding. All Emmeline could see were soldiers coming at her and all she could feel was the desperation to protect herself with her powers. She worried for the Allfather; what if they didn't get there in time? She fought alongside Heimdall, once setting his staff on fire for him. She didn't want to use her fire on the soldiers, in fear of setting the palace ablaze. So she tried freezing them. But her power was growing weaker as more and more soldiers attacked her. There were too many, and when she tried to freeze one, another would strike her and her power would falter. Eventually she got so weak that she couldn't do more than create a thin film of ice over a soldier and it was easy for them to break out of it. Heimdall began to notice.

"Go," he said to her. "We can hold them off. Go to the Allfather."

Emmeline nodded and realizing that there was no way around the soldiers, started pushing through them. But that was hard when they kept trying to attack her. She resorted to using her brute strength to hit them, which wasn't ideal, but it brought her to Thor's area of battle.

"Throw me past them!" she said, trying to be heard over the sound of clanging metal and battle cries. "I'll go to save Odin!" Thor couldn't pick her up before a soldier clocked her in the head and she fell on the floor, unconscious.

She hadn't even noticed Loki slip out of the fight.

* * *

Loki walked through the empty halls of the ravaged palace, illusioned as a Chitauri soldier. Odin was in trouble. Odin, the man who had lied to Loki his entire life. The man who merely pretended to love him, so he could unite opposing forces. The coward. But Loki kept walking, until he reached the back of the palace, where the gallows were located. He stopped when he had just exited the back entrance; he was standing behind a large throne-like chair.

He saw the Other walk from his chair to address the people that were gathered around the gallows. He saw Odin, standing in front of the people, tied up in thick ropes with his head down. Weak. He saw the Asgardian people, women and children crying, men with solemn expressions to hide their despair. There were Chitauri soldiers around the people, creating a barrier so no one could escape. They were being forced to watch the death of their beloved king.

Loki expected a noose somewhere above, but there was none. Instead, to the right, there was a guillotine. With a sharpened blade that would slice the Allfather's head clean off. Just then, the Other addressed Loki—having almost forgotten he was disguised as a Chitauri soldier.

"Operate the guillotine," he commanded, his icy glare daring Loki to disobey him. "Do it on my word." Loki walked up to the guillotine and grabbed the string, pulling up the blade. Two other soldiers brought Odin over to the guillotine and forced him to lay on the ground and stick his head under the blade. Loki heard the Asgardian king mutter "For Asgard" under his breath as he kneeled to the weapon of execution. Loki stared at the old man, defeat in his eyes and sorrow in his heart.

"Asgardians!" yelled the Other. "Look at your so-called king! Defenseless and weak! Let this be known as the day I, your new king, brought Asgard and all Nine Realms to justice!" His voice rang out among the people, with no one saying a word. No one cheered, no one objected. They all stood captive, crying at the sight of their leader brought down by an enemy.

"Bring out the prisoners!" sneered the Other to another Chitauri soldier. The soldier bowed and came back a few minutes later with Sif and the Warriors Three tied in chains. They all had metal masks over their mouths to keep them quiet, but Loki could see Sif yelling through her glare at the Other. "Now all of you behold, the death of the powerful Odin!" The Other addressed Loki in his disguise, "Off with his head!" He gave an evil sneer. Loki hesitated.

_Why shouldn't I?_ He told himself. _Odin has never done any good for me. I should let this sharpened blade slide right through his neck._

But he didn't. Before the Other had time to reprimand him for not doing as he said, Loki shut off his illusion, turning back into himself. The people gasped and Loki used one hand to take out his daggers and cut the ropes off of Odin.

_Foolish _creature, thought Loki of the Other. _I wouldn't have been able to cut through chains. _Odin took his neck out of the wooden crevice and got to his feet.

"Loki," he said, as if he was surprised.

"No time to thank me," Loki replied coldly. Chitauri soldiers suddenly started toward Loki and the Allfather, and Loki tossed Odin one of his daggers. When the first soldier came to Loki, he grabbed its neck and threw it under the guillotine, finally letting the string go as the creature's head fell onto the ground. Loki smirked and turned to fight the rest of the soldiers.

Just then, Thor and Heimdall arrived. Loki didn't see Emmeline, and he was a bit worried. However, they wouldn't leave her. He assumed they had given her a task, and continued fighting the soldiers around engaged himself into battle, his natural instinct when danger arose. Heimdall made his way to the Allfather and sneaked him out of the fight.

After Loki had killed all the soldiers within his area, he saw the Other walking toward him with a sinister expression. Loki wasn't afraid. The Other was a fool.

"You will pay, Loki of Asgard," he growled.

"You took what was mine," Loki replied.

"The Asgardian throne was never yours!" That made Loki angry.

"It was! I am a king, you pathetic creature! You are nothing but Thanos' dog, that wishes it could be the master!" Loki sneered at the Other and he picked Loki up by his neck.

"You will never be a king," said the Other through gritted teeth. "It is not in your nature. You will live the rest of your miserable life wishing!" The Other slammed Loki into the ground and scratched his face with his long claws. Loki held back a gasp of pain. He felt blood run down his face. The Other stood up straight and looked at him condescendingly.

"She has weakened you," he said. The Other walked out of Loki's sights and Loki lied there. He did not try to get up. Everything hurt, and his vision was starting to fail. He knew he would fall unconscious any moment.

* * *

When Loki awakened, he was in a bed with gold satin sheets, wearing no shirt. He tried to sit up, and groaned when he did; every part of his body hurt. He put his hand up to his face, feeling the scratches made by the Other. They went across his cheek and the blood had dried. Loki looked around, wondering where he was. He had never been in this place before. It was very small, in fact Loki had to duck a little so his head wouldn't hit the ceiling.

Loki soon realized that he was in a dwarf house. Judging by the size and style of things, he was in a dwarf village. But how did he get here and why? Where was everyone? Just as Loki wondered, Thor entered the small room, ducking under the door.

"Thor," said Loki. "How did we get here?"

"The Other searched for father, determined to kill him, so we fled here. Father and I are discussing what we shall do in terms of war. The people of Asgard are rising against the Other. We intend to bring them to justice. Are you with us?"

"Of course," said Loki. "Where—"

"—Thank you," Thor interrupted. "For saving Father."

"I didn't want the Other to get the satisfaction," Loki replied. "Where is Emmeline? Is she safe? I didn't see her in battle." Thor hesitated and looked at the floor, which frightened Loki. "What happened to her?" Thor sighed, and looked at Loki with a worried expression on his face.

"...We can't find her."


	16. Chapter 16

**(Author's Note: Here it is, Chapter 16! Sorry about the cliffhanger on the last chapter, but I felt it was necessary. Enjoy, and please review!)**

Chapter 16

Loki looked at Thor in disbelief, making sure he'd said what Loki just heard. After the shock had gone, there was a heavy mixture of anger and fear as Loki used his magic to put on his armor and rise out of bed, equipping himself with his scepter.

"What do you mean you can't find her? You left without her! She was with you!"

"Heimdall and I were determined to save Father, we didn't check to see if anyone had—"

"—I don't want to hear it, Thor!" Loki yelled, raising his scepter at his brother. "I'm going to find her. If I find her dead, her blood will be on your hands. And I will hunt you down and you will _beg_ for me to kill you. You better _pray_ that she is alright."

"…Loki, don't go out there. It's madness; you'll get killed."

"Then so be it. We're fighting a war anyway. I'm just fighting it for a different reason. You stay here. I don't need you bumbling along after me; you've caused trouble enough," Loki hissed. He turned around to leave.

"Loki please," said Thor. "I care for Emmeline as well, but we have to put the whole of Asgard first. We have to have a plan." Loki turned around and looked at Thor with stabbing eyes.

"She is the only thing in this life I truly love. I can't lose her." With that, Loki left.

He stood up straight after he had exited the dwarf house, pain shooting up his back. Many dwarves stared at him as he walked past, recognizing the fallen prince; their former king. Some fled, noticing his glowing scepter and the sharp end of it. Loki paid them no mind as he stalked the village.

The peaceful aura of the dwarf village soon faded when Loki heard screams of terror at the end of the horizon. He walked faster and stopped in his tracks. The war his brother had spoken of had definitely begun. Loki saw Asgardian warriors sparring with Chitauri soldiers; even peasants being slain in the streets. Loki knew then that he needed to make a plan. He last saw Emmeline at the palace, and that was where he needed to go. If he could make it through the madness that surrounded it, he would know what to do from there.

* * *

Emmeline woke up with a terrible headache. She blinked her eyes open and once her vision settled, she realized she was chained to the wall. Her hands and feet had cuffs on them, and the room around her was small and empty. She didn't recognize this room as any part of the palace, but soon realized it was a dungeon. The walls were made of stone and they were dripping with moisture. After these realizations, she began to wonder.

How did she get here? Where were her friends and Loki? Did Odin make it? None of these questions could be answered from where she was. Emmeline looked up at her hands that were bound to the stone wall above her head, and after struggling for some time, concluded that she could not slip out of the cuffs around her wrists. She couldn't free her legs either, as if that would have done any good. All she could do was sit there, wondering.

She hoped Loki was all right. She hadn't seen him during the fight she vaguely remembered. Perhaps he went ahead to save Odin. …Or maybe he got hurt. Emmeline tried not to think of that, as there was nothing she could do if that was the case.

The day dragged on, if it was even day—there was no way for Emmeline to tell. She had no idea how long she had been there, but it felt like forever. She got awfully hungry and thirsty, enough to where she called out for someone. Anyone.

"Hello! Is anybody out there?! Please!" It was no use. No one could hear her through the stone walls. Emmeline was alone.

Later that day—or maybe it was evening—Emmeline heard the echo of footsteps down the hall she assumed was there. They came closer and closer and Emmeline felt her stomach turn. She was scared. Whoever was coming down that hallway was either responsible for putting her here or her rescuer, and she didn't think the latter was very likely. She was right. When the steel door opened, the one she recognized as the Chitauri commander stepped through it with an evil grin on his face. Emmeline studied him, trying to read his motive for being there.

"Hello mortal," he hissed. "I suppose you wonder why you are here."

"A bit," Emmeline replied with monotone. He would tell her anyway, which was pathetic. He took pride in whatever he thought was his brilliant plan. It was then that Emmeline realized this was the Other, and that he wouldn't win. He was all show.

"Your lover has grown weak," said the Other. "You have caused this. He will search for you, and when he reaches your location, I will kill you while he watches me. Then he will regret ever failing me; the sniveling scoundrel, and I will be the rightful king."

"Is that all you want?" asked Emmeline. "For Loki to regret his failure? That is a foolish wish; one that will never come true. You may do whatever you want to me, but you will never win this battle. Because, if I may use Midgardian terms, you are a loser." The Other muttered a deep growl toward Emmeline.

"I want to be king!" he roared.

"You can't!" Emmeline hissed back. "It is not in your nature. All you are is second-hand to Thanos; a pathetic follower! You have no kingdom, and none will ever come to you!"

The Other slammed his slimy pale hand against Emmeline's neck, constricting her breath. He squeezed and Emmeline could feel her blood rushing to her head.

"You are nothing but a mere mortal, doomed to die!" He growled through gritted teeth. "I may kill the Asgardian fool before you instead!" Right before Emmeline was sure she was going to pass out, the Other released his grip on her neck.

"Do not forget that you and your lover's _lives_ rest in my hands," he hissed, leaving the dungeon.

As hours went by like cars across the highway, Emmeline grew more and more miserable. She was hungry and thirsty, and her wrists and ankles hurt very badly from the chains holding her. The edge of the rusty metal cuffs cut into her skin and warm blood trickled down her arms and feet. Emmeline knew that the only thing she could do that would take away her misery was to sleep, but not even that would come. Emmeline was too uncomfortable to sleep. Too worried and miserable to even think of slipping into that wonderful state of peace. Her only hope now was that she would grow so tired that she would pass out into sleep.

Just when her eyes started to flutter open and closed, someone coming through the steel door woke Emmeline up. It was a Chitauri soldier. He had a whip in his hand. As soon as Emmeline saw it, a rush of fear ran through every bone in her body. The soldier spoke to her in a distorted grumble:

"The Other believes you need a lesson in keeping your mouth _shut_!" The creature stood before her and drew back his arm, Emmeline bracing herself for the impact of the weapon. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, and when the sharp lash hit her side, slicing it open, she screamed in pain. It was like no pain Emmeline had known before. The soldier hit Emmeline many more times, and Emmeline didn't know if it would ever be over. Tears streamed down her face that was now coated in blood and ran into her mouth, the salty taste mixing with the metallic blood taste. Emmeline felt as if all her insides were going to fall out of her onto the floor. She almost wished he would just kill her. She would die anyway from the loss of blood, if not by the hand of the Other.

When the soldier left Emmeline to hang on the wall, blood dripping from her body to the stone floor, Emmeline wasn't sure how long the lashing had lasted. It could have been minutes to hours. All Emmeline could think about was Loki, wishing he was here, hoping he was in better shape than she. Although she wished for him, she also hoped he wouldn't come. The Other had vowed to kill him, and she knew they would torture him first. Emmeline hung there, miserable with pain, hunger, and longing. She had accepted her fate and wished it to come sooner.

* * *

Loki's anger boiled within him as he exited the dwarf village. He felt like the monster he truly was. Any sentiment or worry he had for Emmeline he channeled into anger. He knew that was the only way he would succeed. He had no room for weakness now. He knew that it was the Other that probably had Emmeline. She was still in the palace, and that vile creature would not let her escape easily. Loki felt his scepter surge with power from the rage burning a hole in his heart.

The next place Loki went through was not as kind as the dwarf village. The Asgardian citizens stared at him with looks of shock and hate as he passed them. He felt like a stranger in a strange land. Some of them threw stones at him, a few striking him in the face, causing him to once more be aware of the deep scratches on the side of his face. Soon more and more people came to throw stones and spit upon him. Loki said nothing, holding back his cries of pain. He would not show weakness.

Loki was forced to slow his pace through the civilians; too many people were gathering to abuse him. They shouted at him, threw stones at him, and spit on him and where he walked.

"You let them in here!" Some of them screamed. Most of them said only one thing. "All this is your fault!" _Your fault, your fault, your fault._ The words echoed through Loki's head over and over. His anger grew and he blasted the people with his scepter. Some of them gasped, most of them backing away.

"You are a monster," said one man. Loki looked at him coldly. "You care only for yourself! You will never be the true king; only an enemy! A foreign predator, a _Jotun_!" Loki speeded to the man and dug his fingers into his shoulder.

"You are _nothing_," he hissed. "I am a king, and you are but a corpse." Loki reared back his scepter, but was stopped by a booming voice Loki knew far too well.

Thor.

"STOP!" he yelled, coming into Loki's sight. "Brother, put the scepter down. These are our people." Loki glared at him, his eyes showing no mercy, his rage taking over; surging through his veins.

"These are _your_ people," Loki said. "They are nothing but a pathetic race of maggots to me." Loki kept his glare at Thor and tightened his jaw as he shoved his scepter through the man. Blood rose out from his mouth as he sputtered and Loki stared at Thor menacingly, as if it was his brother whom he'd stabbed. Thor looked back with sorrow and compassion for the victim. It disgusted Loki and he looked at the man who challenged him and pushed him off of his weapon. The man writhed on the ground, trying desperately to hang on to his last threads of life as Loki watched with hatred in his eyes.

Thor approached Loki slowly as the rest of the people left, many weeping for the loss of their companion.

"Brother, why?" asked Thor. "What do you have to prove? Emmeline would be disgusted with you." Loki looked at his brother with the same unwavering cold expression.

"Emmeline is not here," he said, his voice faltering.

"Who do pledge your loyalty to? Is it not Asgard? The Chitauri?"

"No one. I pledge my loyalty to no one." Loki's glare lingered and a silence swept over the brothers. "…I told you to stay."

"I didn't listen," Thor replied. Loki looked away from him and started again on his way.

"You are a fool," he said. He knew Thor was following him, but knew it best to ignore him. Loki climbed a small hill and when he made it over, he could see the palace, far off in the distance. Past the chaos and the screaming and the blood. Emmeline. Thor soon broke the lovely silence with his low, gruff voice.

"I know my brother is still in there somewhere," he said. "The one that saved Odin. The one that loves Emmeline. You haven't completely disappeared, Loki." Loki did not turn around. He kept his gaze on the palace and spoke softly, more to himself than to his brother.

"I have. I have completely disappeared into an abyss of darkness, brother. But…no matter how dark it is…how black my soul gets, how mad I become…I will love her." _She is the light. She _is_ the madness. _Loki turned to his brother and his green eyes glittered with a strange mix of malice, hurt, and innocence as he lowered his chin. "She is the only evidence left of me."

* * *

All Emmeline could do in the dungeon was hang there, bleeding out, slipping in and out of consciousness. Now a soldier came in every day to torture her. A few hours ago, a soldier came and threw salt at her; the unholy mineral being absorbed into her wounds, burning her flesh like a thousand fires. This was Hell. Emmeline screamed at the sting and convulsed, wishing for water, wishing for the pain to stop, wishing to die. She _prayed_ to die. Her screams made her throat raw and eventually her voice ran out, and she screamed in silence. She hung her head down, blood caked into her hair. She tried to breathe slowly as the sting lingered.

Emmeline knew the dungeon was quiet, but to her it was loud. The rushing sound of blood in her ears and the echo of her screams ran over and over, driving her to madness. She broke out into a cold sweat and tried to stay still so the sting of salt would leave. She felt weak; all her power was drained out of her. She could burn nothing; freeze nothing. She was helpless; left here to suffer until the blessing of death would finally come. She thought of the only thing that could make her happy; now and every other time: Loki. His emerald green eyes blazing into her heart with a look of love he had only ever given her; his raven black hair slicked back over his shoulders; his hands that had caressed her face and so often held hers. She imagined him telling her everything was going to be alright; even though she knew better. But that was what he would say. Loki always believed he could fix everything, confident in his abilities to get what he wanted. She loved that about him. His dark, beautiful soul. He let her in, and pushed her away, but she would never leave. She was addicted to him and all his demons.

Thinking of Loki was only a small comfort however; the pain still raging inside of her. It was all she could truly think about.

_Stinging. Burning. Pain. _

It clung to her like a parasite, dwelling in her to suck all her nutrients and blood and happiness until she was no more than a hollow shell that used to be a girl. She felt herself fading away into nonexistence, into nothing. She closed her eyes, hoping it was now that she would go, where this pain would no longer exist. She was not so lucky. It stabbed at her, prodding her as if she were a sleeping beast. She whimpered, her inevitable fate sinking into her mind; filling her with sadness and despair.

_She'll never see him again._

That thought alone was enough to scare her just as much as the whip and the salt. Loki was all she wanted. And how hurt and angry he would be when he discovered that she was dead. She hated to think of what it would do to him. Perhaps he would sit in despair, like he did for Frigga; or maybe he would let his rage take over, like he did for his own broken soul. Emmeline realized she couldn't die; she had to live for Loki. He would never forgive her if she didn't. She let out a cry of despair, knowing that she would have to endure this torture and suffering, with no hope of death.

As more time passed, Emmeline couldn't think of anything at all. She could think of nothing but the pain. Burning and stinging. _Burning, stinging, burning, stinging, burning, stinging…_ She barely noticed when the Other entered the stony dungeon. She didn't even look up when he approached her.

"I hope you have learned a lesson, woman," he said. "Have you? Answer me." Emmeline sighed, all the bravery drained out of her. She had no more pride.

"Y-Yes," she managed.

"I am your king," he hissed. "Do you understand?"

"…Yes."

"Good; so you will sit here until I see it fit to kill you."

"Yes." Emmeline's voice was hoarse, releasing a surge of pain every time she spoke.

"You are weak. Nothing but a pathetic mortal, so easy to break." The Other stood before her, smirking at her. Emmeline could have cared less. She was only half-paying attention to him. She was only half-existing. She spit no comebacks, no denials, no disrespects. She did not have the energy. She just hurt.

"Ah, you _have_ learned," said the Other, his voice like a demon, stabbing her with an edge of malevolence. A small addition to the immense pain already beating her down.

The steel door busted open again, turning the Other's head toward it, but Emmeline remaining stationary. Nothing could have moved her at this moment. Nothing but the thing that opened that door. Emmeline heard it; the deep, resonant voice that she knew so well. It was lyrical; her salvation. Loki.

"_Let her go_."


	17. Chapter 17

**(Author's Note: Yay! Emmeline's saviors have arrived! Please review in the magical box to tell me what you think! Any questions, suggestions? What would you like to see happen? Let me know, and enjoy!)**

Chapter 17

The sight of Emmeline alone was enough to make Thor's stomach turn. The Other had her chained by her wrists and ankles to the wall. Emmeline's entire body was covered in blood. She was completely red. Her red-orange hair was now completely red with blood, wet and caked in thick strings. She held her head down. Even when Loki entered the dungeon she did not lift her head. It looked as though she had been tortured. Thor swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at her, tears threatening to overflow his cheeks. Her eyes stared at the ground, open wide, dark and beaten with pain and despair. They were dull; the spark they once had was gone, replaced with a dark shade of misery. Her breathing was in ragged, short gasps. She looked like a corpse hanging as a trophy. Barely hanging on to the last strings of life.

On the floor below her there was a pool of her own blood; Thor could see it still dripping off of her slowly. The shadows on her face revealed the outline of her skull, and her eyes sunk in, large purple circles surrounding them. She was skinnier than she was normally; Thor knew the Other hadn't fed her, or given her any water to drink for that matter. As Thor looked closer, he saw large whiplashes at her sides, cutting through her clothing not to mention her skin. Blood and puss poured out of them, and bile rose in Thor's throat. He swallowed it back.

She looked as if she could disintegrate onto the floor at any moment. Her lips were bone-dry and split in a few places. Her face could break a thousand hearts. Her expression was one of despair, fear, and surrender. She had completely given up, and Thor could see it. She stared into the void of the stone floor, with an eerie acceptance of whatever was to come to her.

Loki's face broke Thor's heart as well. Written into his brother's expression was shock, anger, heartbreak, and desperation. Every string holding Loki's composure broke in that instant. His brow furrowed and tears welled up in his sparkling emerald eyes. He saw Emmeline the way Thor saw her now, but it was different for Loki because he loved her. All the blood and gashes and the look on her face shattered his brother's soul. Loki shot a glance at Thor, with a look of worry and anger Thor had never seen before. Loki was mentally yelling at Thor to attack the Other.

The Other stood there, smirking at the two brothers as they stared at their female companion, barely surviving.

"There is no hope for her now," said the Other. Loki took out his daggers and pinned the Other to the wall. He growled through gritted teeth.

"_You release her this instant, or I swear I will—_"

"—You'll do what? You can do nothing. And now you shall watch her _die_." The Other shoved Loki into the stone wall and took out his sword. He approached Emmeline, and on instinct Thor swung Mjolnir in the creature's face before he could reach her. When the Other was on the ground, Thor placed Mjolnir on his chest, pinning him to the ground. Loki smirked at the creature.

"Well look at you," he said. "Such weakness! How easy that was! I suppose I will have to watch _you_ die instead." Loki picked up the Other's sword, and looked at Emmeline. He looked back at the Other with a look Thor could only decipher as pure hatred. Thor knew what he was going to do.

"Loki…" he said, warning in his voice. Loki wasn't paying attention. Emmeline remained silent, her body unmoving. Thor began to worry about her.

Thor had no time to stop his brother when Loki plunged the sword into the Other. His blood splattered on Loki's face, half of it already bloody from the scratch the Other had given him days before. Loki pushed the sword down into the Other, and up to make sure it would kill him. He pulled the blade out and tossed it aside.

Loki stood over the Other, smiling mischievously, as if he was proud of himself. He looked to Thor.

"Let's go," he said. Loki turned to Emmeline, standing a distance from her as if he was afraid to get too close. Thor slowly stepped up to where she hung and using his brute strength, unbound her hands and feet from the chains. He took her down from the wall and turned to Loki. Loki held out his arms to take her and Thor set her gently in them. Loki looked down at Emmeline in his arms and she slightly turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were still wide from torture and she said nothing. Loki looked at her with horror and sat on the floor, setting her in his lap. He held her close to him, stroking her blood-soaked hair, her blood staining his clothing and skin.

"How could I have let this happen?" he whispered, half to Emmeline, half to himself. "I'm so sorry Emmeline... I am a fool." Emmeline whimpered in pain and fear, her breath struggling with gasps. She was trembling.

"Shh…nothing can hurt you now, dear one," Loki said. Thor had never seen his brother act like this before. Seeing Loki so vulnerable and comforting was not the norm. Thor wished that his father could see Loki now. Odin had never understood Loki or known him the way Thor had. Thor hated that he had to interrupt, but if Chitauri soldiers saw the Other lying dead and Loki and Thor standing by, things would go bad quickly.

"Loki…" he said. "We have to go." Loki nodded and stood up, gently lifting Emmeline with him. She rested her head on his chest. "Illusion yourself as a soldier," Thor said.

"I can't. I must carry Emmeline, and my illusions cannot be touched. We just have to carefully sneak past them."

"Where?"

"To mother's chambers," Loki replied. "She needs tending to, and no soldier would reside in the queen's chamber. You fetch Odin and Heimdall. At least one of them might know what to do." Loki's voice shook with fear and uncertainty. He did not know what to do for Emmeline, and it scared him, Thor could see. He nodded, and when he reached the doors of the palace, he wound up Mjolnir to fly him to the dwarf village. To Odin and Heimdall.

* * *

Loki snuck past the Chitauri guards until he made it to Frigga's chambers. As he expected, it was uninhabited. Loki gently laid Emmeline on the bed and bolted the doors. He searched fervently for a water dish in Frigga's chamber. Just looking at Emmeline and how beaten; how tortured she looked stabbed him in the chest. Loki opened a wooden armoire and found a dish in it. He grabbed it and filled it with water from the fountain that was in the middle of his mother's room. That fountain was a place that Loki had practiced his magic with his mother many times, but Loki had no time to reminisce. He knelt by Emmeline and looked into her eyes that no longer sparkled. She looked back at him, unable to say anything from her lack of water. She looked only to be half there.

Loki put the dish up to her mouth and let Emmeline drink from it. He could see the relief on her face when the cold liquid hit her dry mouth, lubricating her throat like it was from the heavens. After she finished, Loki crawled up in the bed with her and gently held her close to him.

"I'm _so_, _so_ sorry," he said. "This is all my fault. …What have they done to you?" Emmeline, shaking, wrapped her fragile arms around Loki. He held her close, but was careful not to hurt her.

"You came back," she rasped.

"Yes," Loki replied. "I would never leave you."

"You saved me."

"Here, let me look at your wounds," he said, laying her gently on the bed. "I don't want to hurt you by slipping your shirt over your head, so is it alright if I cut it?" Emmeline nodded. Loki took out one of his daggers and cut a slit in her shirt, using his hands to rip it off of her. Loki cringed at the sight of the whiplashes. They were open; bloody and swollen. He looked at Emmeline intently, pain in his expression.

"I'm going to have to pour water on them," he said. "…It will hurt." Emmeline winced and nodded, preparing herself. Loki hated that he was the one that had to do this. Seeing her in pain was almost the same as him being in pain. He literally hurt when he looked at her. He filled the water dish again and proceeded to pour the water over Emmeline's lashes.

She threw her head back and cringed, screaming from the pain. She clutched the blanket below her and sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. Loki wept for her. He didn't try to hold it back this time; they were alone. He closed his eyes and poured water over the other side, and Emmeline let out more cries. When Loki was about to pour the last of the water over her, he hurled the dish at the wall and put his face in his hands.

"I can't. I cannot do this. I can't stand to see you in pain like this."

"It's okay," rasped Emmeline. "It doesn't hurt as much as the salt at least." Loki turned to Emmeline with wide eyes.

"Salt?!" Emmeline said nothing and Loki took her hands in his.

"I wish I could kill that loathsome creature a second time," he said. "But I have killed him. He will not bother you now."

"I thought I would never see you again. I thought I was going to die." As Loki held Emmeline's hands, he studied the circles of blood around her wrists, where the chains had cut into her.

"You're alright now my darling," he said. He pet her hair, the blood in it staining his hand. "I will never let anyone hurt you again." After a silence, Emmeline spoke once more.

"What happened to your face? It's terribly slashed."

"The Other smashed me into the ground," Loki replied. Emmeline looked at him lovingly, and then looked as if she thought of something.

"Did Odin make it? What happened after the fight? I didn't see you," she asked.

"I slipped out, and that is why this is my fault. I should have never left you."

"But why? Why did you leave?"

"I disguised myself as a Chitauri soldier and saved Odin's miserable life from the guillotine. Then the Other beat me out of consciousness and I woke up in a dwarf village. When I woke up, Thor told me you had gone missing, so I came to where I last saw you. Here. The dungeons were the last place I looked."

"So he's alive? You saved him?"

"…In a word." Emmeline mustered a small smile at him.

"I would have thought you'd let him die," she said.

"I would have. I should have," Loki replied dryly.

"Why didn't you?" Loki looked at the floor and said nothing. Why hadn't he? He would have thought it amusing to see the Allfather fall. But at the last minute he acted on impulse and saved Odin's life—endangering Emmeline's in the process. It was a foolish thing to do. So why had he done it? "I think that's enough questions, love," he told Emmeline. She smiled at him.

"You did it for Thor, didn't you?" she rasped. Loki stayed silent. That thought hadn't occurred to him, but when he thought of it…no. That couldn't be it. Could it? Certainly not. Thor? Loki shut out the thought. "I know you did," Emmeline said. …Why must she always be right?

After a few minutes, there was a knock at the door.

"Loki, it is I. I have brought Father and Heimdall." Loki got up to open the door.

"You may want to cover yourself," said Loki to Emmeline. "Do you need more water?" Emmeline nodded and Loki fetched another water dish for her and waited until she had covered herself with a blanket to open the door.

Thor entered with Odin and Heimdall and gestured them to Emmeline.

"She was tortured," he said, making Loki shudder at the thought of that word associated with Emmeline. But she had been tortured. And it was his fault. His, and Odin's. He should have let the guillotine take him. But he couldn't. Because his brother would have suffered. _Why do I care if Thor is hurt? When have I ever cared?_ Loki thought. He didn't care about anyone, except Emmeline and Frigga. And now Frigga was gone.

…_Because I know what it's like._

Odin addressed Emmeline. "It seems every time I see you child, your life is in danger."

"And will you do nothing to help, just like the last time?" remarked Loki bitterly.

"In repayment for saving my life Loki, I will do what I can to help her," Odin replied calmly. He kneeled beside Emmeline. Loki shot a look at Thor, mentally telling him to leave. If the Allfather was going to attempt the healing technique Loki thought he was, it would be better for Thor and Heimdall to not be present. Thor nodded at his brother.

"Come Heimdall," he said. "Let us guard the door." Loki nodded back in agreement. Once they left, Emmeline removed her blanket to show the Allfather her wounds. Odin studied them. He turned to Loki.

"This requires magic," he said.

"I know that," scoffed Loki. "I called you here because you're the only one that can summon the healing gauntlet."

"No," said Odin. "Wounds like these can only be treated with Hardol's Spell." Loki widened his eyes in horror at the Allfather.

"No. No, that's out of the question."

"Can you not do it?"

"I can do it; I just refuse to do it on her." Odin stood up and looked at his adopted son.

"It is the only way," he said. Loki swallowed hard. Emmeline took a drink of water and spoke up, her voice still hoarse.

"W-What's the problem? What's Hardol's Spell?" Loki approached her and sat on the bed.

"It's a healing spell created by Hardol the Healer. When he created it, it worked very well, but it was excruciatingly painful for those who had to undergo it. Some even thought it wasn't worth it. Hardol died though, before he could perfect the spell."

"It is the only one powerful enough for your case," added Odin. "If Loki does not perform it, you will die." Emmeline sighed after a moment.

"Okay," she said.

"Hold her down," Loki ordered Odin, making Emmeline wince with apprehension.

"Loki, you cannot stop once you've started," warned Odin. "You have to be strong when it hurts her."

"You think I am weak, Odin?" Loki said, as if he was challenging him.

"I only speak with the knowledge that you love her," Odin replied. Loki said nothing and stood over Emmeline while Odin held her down by her arms.

"I'm sorry," said Loki to Emmeline. She bit her lip and nodded to him. Loki placed his hands over Emmeline and began reciting the spell.

* * *

Loki was reciting the Hardol's Spell in some kind of foreign language Emmeline didn't know, but she couldn't focus on that for long. Loki had warned her about the pain, but there was no way Emmeline could have prepared herself. It was a good thing Odin was holding her down.

As soon as Loki began reciting the spell, a green glow escaped from his hands and it stabbed Emmeline's wounds like hundreds of needles sticking her at once. As much as she tried to for Loki, she couldn't hold back her screams. The magic went from needles to knives, and it caused her to shake and convulse, trying to escape it. Tears ran down the sides of her face out of the corners of her eyes, and she became so hot it felt like she was on fire. She _had_ been on fire before, but that was her own power; it hadn't burned like this.

Emmeline shrieked at the top of her lungs and Odin whispered consolations in her ear. She couldn't hear him. She couldn't hear anything. Just the blood rushing in her ears and her own screeching. She tried to focus. Focus on something; anything…Loki. He recited the spell with a pained expression, tears spilling over his cheeks from the sound of Emmeline's pain. He looked at her while he performed the spell; love and hurt in his eyes.

Suddenly the pain grew worse. Emmeline felt as if someone had reached inside her and started turning her inside out. She couldn't control her convulsions, nor the blood seeping out of her mouth. Her insides were burning; she was almost sure of it. She could almost hear herself sizzling; smell the smoke. Sweat ran down her face and wet her hair, and she heard Odin yell to Loki.

"Finish it! Hurry, you're killing her!"

_Killing her?_ Loki muttered the spell faster and with every word a new form of the excruciating pain emerged. Emmeline screeched and writhed and suddenly she could sense nothing but the pain. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't see anything. Just blackness, and pain within the blackness. The pain grew and grew, and she felt herself crying louder but heard nothing.

And then it was over.

The pain stopped abruptly. Altogether in one second, everything went away. Emmeline felt perfect; like nothing had ever happened. She looked down at herself and her wounds were gone. She was completely healed. She could feel her power coming back as well; it was flowing stronger and stronger through her veins, giving her a sense of relief and adrenaline.

Loki collapsed onto the floor, which startled Emmeline from her wonder. She sat up and peered down at him. He had fallen unconscious. A look of worry spread over Emmeline's face but before she could reach out to him, Odin picked him up.

"He will be alright," he reassured her. "Hardol's spell drains every bit of one's power."

"Thank you, Allfather," said Emmeline. "For saving me." Odin set Loki on the bed and sat next to Emmeline.

"Loki saved you, child," he replied. A silence passed between them "…Do you love my son?" Odin asked, breaking it.

"With all my heart," said Emmeline.

"I can see he cares for you deeply. He loves you as well. You must have quite an effect on him, I've never in my life seen him as…animated, as he is with you." Emmeline beamed at Odin's words.

"Really? Thank you," said Emmeline. "And I've been meaning to tell you, I've never planned to endanger Asgard in any way. I simply follow Loki." Odin nodded. He stood up and started for the door.

"I wish you well," he said.

"Wait," said Emmeline. "Where are you going? It's dangerous out there."

"The war has begun," Odin replied. "I must gather my army." Emmeline smiled.

"Where do we meet you?"

"The bifrost. In three days." Emmeline nodded, and the Allfather opened the door, releasing the sounds of chaos, and then impeding them by closing it. Emmeline looked back at Loki. She brushed his several stray strands of his raven hair out of his face, and looked upon his perfect features. She loved how peaceful he looked when he slept. Like the little boy she knew he had been once; full of ambition and longing. Her gorgeous sleeping prince. Her salvation.


	18. Chapter 18

**(Author's Note: Chapter 18! I feel like we're nearing the end on this baby. Just a few more chapters and she'll be finished. With that end in mind, I would like to know how all of you want it to end. Any ideas? I love questions and suggestions! You can review or PM me if you have any of those. Thank you and enjoy!)**

Chapter 18

When Loki awoke, Emmeline was up, and walking toward Frigga's washroom. He sat up and called out to her.

"What are you doing?" Emmeline turned to him.

"You're awake!" she said, walking over to him. She sat on the bed next to him and looked him over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine darling. Hardol's Spell is greatly taxing on one's energy, but I am fine now. What about you? You were walking, so that is good."

"Oh my God it worked so well! I feel just like I did before, thank you! And I was up because even though my wounds are gone, the blood and dirt are not, so I was going to bathe."

"Without me?" Loki said, smirking at her. She giggled and raised her eyebrow.

"You wanna come?"

"Of course," Loki replied, standing up with her. He put his hands in her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. "You have no idea how worried I was for you. I've never been so afraid in my life." He pulled her against him and breathed in the scent of her. She had a flowery smell, buried underneath the blood. Loki planted kisses on her neck. Emmeline gently pulled away.

"Let's save this for when we get in the shower," she said. "I feel so dirty, it's embarrassing." Loki followed her into the washroom and she turned the water on in the shower. Loki approached her from behind and put his hands on Emmeline's waist, pushing her skirt lower and lower.

"I can do that myself," Emmeline said, a smile in her voice. Loki smiled and breathed on her neck as he caressed her curves.

"Yes, but I can do it _so much better_," he whispered. Emmeline turned around and put her hands on the back of his neck, pressing him against herself.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. "…Again."

"Saving you saves me," Loki replied. "Without you I have nothing to live for."

Loki dissolved his armor and tunic and followed Emmeline into the steaming shower. The water felt nice against his skin, soothing his aching bones, and it washed the blood off Emmeline, leaving a trail of red going into the drain. Loki's charcoal black hair stuck to his shoulders and Emmeline put her fingers in it.

"I want you to promise me," she said, "that you'll never cut your hair." Loki smiled at her and put his hands on her curves.

"You like it?"

"I _love_ it."

"Well then I promise."

Loki was shocked at what Emmeline did next. She threw her arms around him and burst into tears. She cried hard, and Loki could do nothing but hold her. He didn't know what to do. He stood under the warm water with Emmeline in his arms, trying to think of something that would ease her pain.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. Loki stroked her wet hair and spoke softly to her.

"It's alright," he said. "Shh, it's alright."

"They hurt me so much," she cried. "And I…I was so scared without you, but I was scared you would come and they would hurt you, and…" Emmeline trailed off and cried some more. Loki felt as if someone had stabbed him in the gut. Emmeline, while _she_ was being tortured, thought of _him_ and feared for _him_. He wanted to weep himself, but he needed to comfort her. He didn't know what to say.

"They just knocked all the…determination, and the…hope right out of me. And replaced it with pain…" Loki could see the torture had deeply affected her, and why shouldn't it? It was a traumatic experience; Loki knew better than anyone. He knew what it was like to be stuck in the dark for so long that you can't remember light; you can't remember happiness or the kind touch of another person. You can't remember what it was like before the pain.

"I know," he said. "I know it hurts. But you're alright now." Loki failed from keeping the tears from falling over his cheeks. Emmeline had been hurt; she had suffered, and _he wasn't there_. He couldn't protect her. The one thing he loved, the one thing he held dear to him, he couldn't protect. That terrified him more than anything.

"Are you crying too?" Emmeline asked when he began to tremble, trying to hide his sobs from her. She looked up at him. "Why?"

_Because I wasn't there to protect you when you needed me. Because you suffered and I did nothing._

"Because you are," Loki said. "It saddens me to see you cry." Emmeline held tight to him, and they stood there under the steamy water for a long time in silence.

* * *

That night, hours after the sun had set in the Asgardian sky, Loki lied awake in his mother's bed. Emmeline had fallen asleep a while ago, but sleep would not find Loki. He sat up, glancing down at Emmeline as she slept. She looked so peaceful. She deserved such peace after what she'd been through.

Loki looked through the window at the stars. There were few this night, and none shown out above any of the others. They were all spread out; tiny gleams of light in a large dark sky. Such was Loki's heart. But the tiny gleams of light were ones Emmeline had put there.

As Loki sat, looking at the stars, he heard a small noise come from his door. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, in fear of the Chitauri entering, but that fear went away as Loki saw his brother come through the door.

"Oh," whispered Thor. "I'm sorry brother, I thought you would be asleep at this hour. I only came to watch over the two of you. Father wanted Emmeline properly guarded."

_He didn't think I could do it myself?_ Loki thought. But he said nothing of that sort. He didn't know if he thought it anymore.

"You look distressed, brother," said Thor. "What troubles you?" Loki's first thought was to ignore his brother's question, but for some reason he felt compelled to tell him, as if he needed someone to tell.

"Have you ever felt completely helpless Thor? Like nothing you do, even though you try your hardest, can ever keep anything precious to you? Like it is all just going to leave someday and there is nothing you can do?" There was fear and sadness in Loki's voice.

"Why do you say these things, Loki?" asked Thor. "Do you feel guilty for what happened to Emmeline?"

"She suffered, Thor. She suffered at the hands of those vile creatures, and _I wasn't there_. I wasn't there to help her; to deliver her from their cruel torture. She sat there and cried in pain while they _broke_ her. And I was not at her side! I couldn't protect her from that; like I couldn't protect her from the Chitauri's sword in Midgard."

"It wasn't your fault Loki; you had no idea she had been captured. And when you did, you wasted no time going after her. You tried."

"I tried but I _failed_. I failed her. When she needed me most, I…" Loki trailed off as the fear seeped deeper and deeper into his veins. He was poisoned with it.

"And—and here Odin sends you, because he knows you can protect her when I can't!" Loki cried, tears sparking in his eyes, threatening to spill over his cheeks. "What am I to do if something worse happens to her?! What then, Thor?!" Thor walked over to his little brother and put his hand on Loki's shoulder.

"Loki, you are not to blame for Emmeline's torture. It is not your fault that you couldn't be there. Everyone falls short sometimes. You can't be perfect Loki, nobody can be. Terrible things happen and we can't always prevent them." Loki chuckled sadly.

"I am far from perfect brother," he said. "I am just…simply afraid that I won't be able to save her if something terrible should happen to her further. Eventually something will kill her, and I will kill myself for not being there."

"Don't say that," Thor said harshly. "You're being foolish."

"But what about Frigga, Thor?! I couldn't save her either! I was locked in my cell from my own stupidity, and if I had only known the Chitauri wouldn't keep their word to me, none of this would have happened! Frigga wouldn't be dead, Emmeline wouldn't be tortured beyond comprehension, and you and Odin wouldn't hate me! I should have known," he said. "_I should have known._"

"I don't hate you brother, I have told you that. And neither does Father. When we were children I looked up to you." Loki was taken aback. Thor looked up to him? Thor was the one with all the skill in battle, the brawny one that his parents, his friends, and all the maidens of Asgard favored. Loki was the one that always tried to match his worth to Thor's.

"Why would you look up to me?" asked Loki. "You were everything everybody wanted. You were skilled on the battlefield, strong and honorable, like a prince should be. I was small; I wanted to be a sorcerer rather than a warrior and that is hardly matched to your battle talents in Asgard."

"You were always so clever, and Mother took pride in your wit. I always wished I could be as smart and cunning as you could. You could talk us out of trouble with your silver tongue and you always knew what to do in emergency. I used to envy your gentleness and your mind, always focused." Loki stared at his brother in disbelief for a brief moment, and then looked down.

"None of that is of any value in Asgard."

"That's not true Loki, and I'm sorry if I or anyone else ever made you feel that way. But the point is that you are not to blame for anything that has happened when you did not intend. We're brothers, Loki; Jotun or not. Neither one of us is of any more value than the other." Loki didn't say anything for a while. He looked down at Emmeline and swept his finger across her jaw line. After a long moment of silence, Loki spoke.

"Do you…ever get scared for Jane Foster?" he asked without looking at his brother.

"All the time. I go to Heimdall nightly to check on her. That's love, brother. You protect and fear for her because you love her." Loki looked at Thor with a soft expression.

"It's terrifying," he said. "How much I care for her; need her. She terrifies me." Thor laughed, and lightly shook Loki's shoulder.

"It's late brother," said Thor. "You should get some sleep. I'll watch until morning."

"If the Chitauri find us, get Emmeline out," said Loki, pulling the blanket over himself. "Don't worry about me, just _get her out_."

"I will," said Thor. Loki covered Emmeline with the blanket and held her next to him as he fell asleep.

* * *

Emmeline woke up screaming and sweating, with Loki holding her to his chest and Thor standing over her.

"Shh, Emmeline it's alright. Shh, please darling, you have to stop. They'll hear you," said Loki.

When Emmeline realized that it had only been a nightmare; that the Chitauri were nowhere in sight; she stopped screaming and grabbed Loki, breathing heavily.

"It was just a dream Emmeline," said Thor. Emmeline swallowed and Loki squeezed her to his chest, breathing on her neck.

"They-they were here, I…" Emmeline struggled to say.

"I'm here," said Loki. "I won't let them hurt you anymore." Emmeline whimpered into Loki's shirt and he kissed the top of her head. He held her until she calmed down and came into reality.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," Loki replied. "It was only a dream; you're alright now. I love you."

"I just…wish it would go away. The memories…"

"I know. …I know." Loki couldn't think of anything to say. His silver tongue did not apply to Emmeline, or comfort, for that matter. He had no excuse for why he couldn't have been there for her.

"You both need something to eat," said Thor. "I will go out and see what I can find. …The Chitauri have ravaged our kitchens."

"Be careful," warned Emmeline. Thor flashed her an assuring smile and left the room.

"I'm sorry I woke you Loki. You can go back to sleep," said Emmeline.

"No, it's alright. Thor is going to bring us something to sustain us and then we will decide what to do on the grounds of battle. Emmeline, if—"

"—Oh, I forgot to tell you, Odin wants us to meet him on the bifrost in three days, but he said that to me yesterday, so I guess that means tomorrow." Loki registered that information.

"Very well. But, Emmeline if you don't feel like fighting this battle, I want to take you somewhere safe so that—"

"—Are you kidding? I am ready to kick some slimy Chitauri ass!" Loki couldn't help but laugh. "I want to make them pay. I'm becoming like you; I seek vengeance."

"Well then I will grant it to you," said Loki, smiling at her, his white teeth shining at her.

"You look really good today," said Emmeline.

"Do I?"

"Yeah, I just noticed. You look super hot. Maybe it's the lighting in here or something. I mean, you look hot every day, but for some reason today it's like, ten times more blinding. I'm so lucky; you're pretty much the sexiest man to ever walk the planet. Or nine of them." Loki smiled at her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"You are the most beautiful, most graceful creature I have ever seen," he replied. Emmeline giggled and wrapped her arms around him.

"You make me so happy Loki. I'm so glad we're getting married. Then you'll be mine forever. No one else can have you."

"I do? I make you happy?" asked Loki, as if he was surprised.

"Of course! Is that weird?"

"No, it's just…no one has ever told me that before. I don't usually bring happiness."

"Yes you do. You just give it all to me." Emmeline kissed his cheek.

When Thor came back, he brought several loaves of bread and a few fruits. He set them on Frigga's dresser. Emmeline practically exploded out of the bed.

"Sorry guys, but I legitimately can't remember how many days it's been since I've eaten food," she said, sinking her teeth into an apple. To taste the sweet fruit, the juice running down her throat, was like heaven. It had been so long. She took a loaf of bread as well. "Almost-starving needs to stop happening to me."

Loki took a fruit Emmeline didn't recognize and peeled the blue covering, revealing a mushy purple inside. Loki caught Emmeline's bewildered look as he took a bite of it and paused.

"What is that?" she asked.

"A Blue Epli," replied Loki. "You don't have them in Midgard?"

"Nope," Emmeline said. "What does it taste like?"

"Here," Loki handed the fruit to Emmeline and she took a bite of it, getting the blue juice all over her face. Suddenly, a delicious burst of sweetness flooded Emmeline's mouth. The Blue Epli was textured like a watermelon, and the juice tasted like what Emmeline could only describe as strawberry Kool-Aid. She swallowed and looked at Loki.

"That's awesome!" He smiled.

"You have blue on your face," he said. "Let me help you." Loki pressed his lips to Emmeline's, and she tried not to smile as he ravaged her mouth. Thor pretended not to notice. Emmeline let out a soft moan and opened her eyes when they let go of the kiss.

"I think you got it," breathed Emmeline.

"Did I? I don't think I did," Loki said with a smile. Emmeline let him kiss her again and then put her finger in front of her mouth.

"We don't want to make Thor feel awkward," she said. Loki snorted and Thor smirked at him.

All of the sudden, Fandral swooped into the room from the queen's balcony, flying in on a hovercraft.

"Fandral!" exclaimed Thor. "My friend, I have been looking for you and the rest of the Three!"

"The Allfather rescued us, and Lady Sif as well. But I am sorry to report that I bring grave news."

* * *

"What is it?" asked Loki.

"The Chitauri have found their dead leader…and now Thanos is coming to finish the job himself," replied Fandral. Loki would have vomited had he not swallowed it back. The name Thanos sent a chill all over his body.

"Loki, are you okay? You're cold all the sudden," said Emmeline.

"I'm fine," Loki replied hastily. Thanos had ordered the Loki's torture just as the Other had ordered Emmeline's; the Other was nothing but his lieutenant. If Loki feared anyone, he feared Thanos.

And what was worse; suddenly Loki understood Thanos' entire plan.

"DAMMIT!" he exclaimed, although he hadn't realized he'd said it out loud. All eyes turned to him. He looked at them and cleared his throat.

"What?"

"Er…alright, well the Allfather sent me to tell all of you that we shall meet him on the bifrost on the morrow," said Fandral. Thor nodded and Fandral saluted him as he flew out.

"So what was that 'dammit' about?" asked Emmeline. Loki sighed.

"I know what Thanos plans to do," he said. Thor turned to him.

"Tell us, brother."

"Thanos wants Asgard because it is the leader of all the Nine realms. When he has Asgard, he will have the power to mercilessly tear the other realms apart to look for the six soul gems. …He wants the Infinity Gauntlet."

"What is that?" asked Emmeline. "The six soul gems? The Infinity thing?"

"The six soul gems are all jewels of incredible power and energy. The Tesseract is one of them, and Thanos has that already," replied Thor. "If one puts them all together, it creates the Infinity Gauntlet; all the power in the realms combined. If Thanos is able to assemble it, he will have the ability to control Power, Space, Reality, Time, Mind, and the Soul. He will be unstoppable."

"That's not good," Emmeline said.

"That isn't all," Loki said. "Thanos' master is Mistress Death. She resurrected him to bring balance in the realms of living and dead. So many will be killed if we fail to stop him." Emmeline almost refused to believe what she was hearing. Balance the number of living and dead? Half the universe would be killed. She felt an overwhelming rush of stress and fear.

"…W-What do we do?" she stammered.

"We fight," Loki replied. "We fight until the end."

* * *

**Hm? Any thoughts, ideas, questions, suggestions? Review or PM, hope you liked it! I did some research on Thanos on the MCU website and then I learned of this Infinity Gauntlet thing, so if you were wondering, that's where I got my information from. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**(Author's Note: Here it is, the next chapter! Things are getting pretty juicy you guys. The intensity is building. Sorry this took awhile, I kept getting stuck, so I hope this chapter is as good as the work I put into it. Enjoy and please review!)**

Chapter 19

"Can I tell you something?" said Emmeline as she laid in bed next to Loki, on their last night before meeting the Allfather. Thor had fallen asleep in a chair, but Emmeline had trouble finding sleep. She suspected that it was her who was keeping Loki up as well.

"Of course my love," Loki replied sleepily.

"I'm kinda scared," Emmeline said, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't usually get scared before a fight or anything, but…Loki I don't think I can do it. What if we can't stop it this time? These guys are stronger than I thought and I don't think I can take them." Loki sat up and looked down at her.

"Emmeline Collins; that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard you say. You know better than that. You are the most powerful maiden I know, and that is half the reason I am attracted to you so." Emmeline smiled a little.

"Oh really? Then what's the other half?"

"I love how your eyes glow every time you get excited, I love your bright orange hair that looks like flames over your shoulders, and I love how you are never afraid to do anything. You face everything with such bravery. You welcome danger with open arms and crush it. You are the strongest maiden I know; you always focus yourself on the task in front of you and never get caught up in fear or doubt. You always believe in yourself and other people, and greet every duty with unyielding determination. You are an _eagle_, Emmeline." Emmeline smiled at him and looked at him with love.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I admire you for it. And if all that isn't enough, you are breathtakingly beautiful, and I am helplessly and utterly in love with you." Loki looked down at Emmeline with a sparkle in his eye and she smiled big, her white teeth glimmering in the moonlight.

"Thank you," she said. "And I am absolutely, totally in love with you too." She took Loki's hand and interlocked her fingers with his. She looked back up at the ceiling.

"You know, once all this craziness is over, I wanna take you back to Earth. We've been there together before, but I never really got a chance to show you all the awesome stuff. You fed me a magical delicious fruit today, and I want to show you some great Midgardian things. Like Macaroni and Cheese. That's the best thing your taste buds will ever meet."

"Macaroni and Cheese? Is that food?"

"Hell yes it's food! It's the most amazing food ever. You're really missing out. And McDonald's. You don't have fast food here, and I guess that's why most Asgardians are skinny, but it's still delicious so you have to go there. Promise you'll go with me after this? We can go to McDonald's, eat Macaroni and Cheese and get married. Or we can get married here. Whichever."

"I promise," Loki said. "And we could get married any time or any where you wish."

"Any time?"

"Of course. All we need is the Allfather to bind us together and the Mark of One Soul."

"What's that? The Mark of One Soul?"

"When Asgardians marry, the overseer recites the marriage spell, and the Mark of One Soul appears on the two, on the bottom of their wrists. It is like a permanent dark blue ink and it depicts the symbol of their union; binding the both of them to share in one soul."

"So like a tattoo?"

"I suppose. I know not what a 'tattoo' is, but the symbol may be anything. Only the heavens know what it is and that's how it is chosen."

"That's awesome," said Emmeline. "So we could get married tomorrow?"

"If we wanted to, yes."

"Do you want to? Get married tomorrow? I do, because if I don't survive this thing, I would like to be married before my eminent death."

"Don't you dare speak of such! You _will_ survive Emmeline, if I have to die to ensure it. …But yes, I will marry you tomorrow."

"Awesome! We're getting married tomorrow! Let's have a baby too. You want to have a baby with me? I mean not now, not when everything is so chaotic, but later, maybe when we go to Earth."

"That's a…er, big step, but I will have a child with you if you desire it."

"We can talk about it when we get there," said Emmeline sweetly, seeing the fear flood Loki's expression. A silence passed between them while Emmeline thought of all the things they would do after the Chitauri were defeated. …If they were defeated. Emmeline didn't dare think what would happen if the Chitauri won. She couldn't bear to. She had to keep herself thinking positively.

Loki broke the silence by asking her a question.

"Why did you give everything up for me Emmeline? You followed me and left your safe, peaceful life for this dangerous, fearful one. You left your life behind for mine." Emmeline looked at him with love in her eyes. She squeezed his hand.

"Because that's what you do when you love someone; I loved you. Because I had nothing before you. Thor picked me up off the streets; I joined the Avengers with no knowledge of love or life or anything, I just wanted to belong somewhere and to prove myself. But when I met you…you took away the nothing and filled it with everything; something I wanted, something I cared about. Something I'd die for. I had no life to leave behind; you gave me one to live. I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth baby."

Loki looked down at her with a sort of desperate vulnerability and immediately lunged at her, kissing her _hard_. Emmeline was taken aback, but returned his kiss with the same violent passion. Loki's ebony black hair fell over her shoulders like a shadow as he pressed her into the soft, yielding mattress. She melted into him as he dominated her mouth, as if he was intending to demolish all her defenses.

His kisses gradually became gentler, but their closeness remained. Eventually they lied there together, Emmeline lightly brushing her lips against Loki's again and again; he'd let her take control. He tasted of honey, a sweet nectar that Emmeline found herself addicted to, wanting more every time they let go for a breath.

Emmeline ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his neck. Loki let out a soft moan. Emmeline could feel his heartbeat next to hers as she met his lips again and Loki put a hand on the back of her neck in her hair.

Emmeline didn't remember when they stopped. She woke up the next morning with Loki beside her, still sleeping soundly. They were to meet Odin today at the bifrost, to begin the battle that would determine their fate of life or death. They would get married today.

* * *

When Loki awoke, the first thing he saw was Emmeline talking to Thor, dressed in a beautiful white and gold wedding gown. Frigga's wedding gown. Loki stared at her, filled with a glorious peace that this was the first thing he saw this morning. Emmeline looked beautiful. She looked like an absolute goddess. Something tugged in his chest when he studied the patterns of his mother's dress. Frigga had shown him that dress many times and told Loki of her and Odin's wedding. Now it was Loki's turn. He wished so much that Frigga could be there to see it. She would have adored Emmeline…

"Oh Loki, you're not supposed to see me!" exclaimed Emmeline with a smile. Loki smiled back at her.

"Well I'm so glad that I did, you look _ravishing_." Emmeline blushed and Thor smiled.

"I thought it would only be proper for her to wear Mother's dress," he said.

"She would have wanted it," Loki replied, lifting his legs out of the blanket and setting his feet on the floor. "She would have loved so much to see this day…and Emmeline she would have adored you." Thor nodded, and Emmeline smiled.

"I wish I could have met her," she said. A silence passed in between the three of them as they silently, reverently remembered the Asgardian queen, Thor and Loki's mother.

"Well if you are going to wear that, what shall I wear to impress you my love?" asked Loki, breaking the silence. Emmeline gave him and impish grin.

"Nothing," she replied. "Wear absolutely nothing." Loki grinned back.

"We'll save that for after the wedding," he replied. He stood up and gave Emmeline a kiss on the cheek before entering the washroom to freshen up.

As Loki splashed water on his face, he suddenly thought of what was about to happen. He was going to marry Emmeline. _Marry_ her. He wanted nothing less, but many fears began to flood his mind. _What if she has second thoughts? What if Odin won't do it? What if…what if the heavens decide they shouldn't be wed?_ That happened sometimes. The Mark of One Soul wouldn't appear if that was the case, and in Asgardian tradition: the two were forced to separate, deemed unfit to be together. And if Odin wouldn't marry them…then what would Loki do? And did Emmeline really want to marry him now or was she only doing it because she _expected_ to die with the coming battle?!

All of these fearsome thoughts swam hauntingly around Loki's mind, dizzying him and making him nauseous with nerves. The feeling intensified until Loki's stomach turned over, causing him to regurgitate the contents of his stomach into the sink. He pulled back his hair with a shaking hand and hardly heard the door open or his brother's deep voice ringing out at him.

"Nervous brother?" Thor asked. Loki spit the rest of the disgusting liquid into the sink and wiped his mouth off with his hand.

"Why would you say that?" he sighed, standing up straight to face his brother.

"Well, Emmeline speaks of your wedding and then I find you retching your guts out into mother's sink. What troubles you?" Thor said. Loki swallowed and looked at the floor for a moment. He sighed.

"I'm just…afraid of all that could go wrong," Loki replied solemnly.

"Ah, brother," Thor said, putting a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You needn't worry about that. Our father will be obliged to oversee, and the heavens will readily join the both of you." It was like Thor had read his mind.

"How did you know that was what I feared?" asked Loki.

"All men fear these things at their weddings," Thor replied with a smile. "Now you should clean your mouth before kissing Emmeline at the ceremony." Loki smiled back at him and Thor closed the door as he left the washroom. When Loki turned to exit, he reopened the door to Emmeline standing with a smirk on her face, arms crossed.

"Afraid to marry me, are you?" she said, smiling.

"Thor!" scolded Loki. Emmeline laughed.

"I'm just kidding Loki," she said. She had put Frigga's dress away and was now wearing a red tunic probably borrowed from Sif. Loki smiled at her and used his magic to redress her in a tight, green, leathery jumpsuit.

"Much better," he said. "It flatters you." Emmeline smiled.

"I wish I could do magic so I could dress you. I'd put you in a suit. A sexy businessman suit." Loki smiled mischievously and a Midgardian 'suit' appeared on him. Emmeline smiled again and pulled his tie to her chest to kiss him. "You hottie."

"Now now," interjected Thor. "You will have time for these games after the ceremony. We should go and ask Father if he will oversee your wedding ceremony." Loki nodded to Thor and took Emmeline's hand. As he began to follow Thor, he whispered in her ear:

"I firmly intend to continue 'these games' when we return here." Emmeline smiled and bit her lip.

Loki, Emmeline, and Thor arrived at the bifrost to find Odin, Heimdall, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, and the entire fleet of Asgardian soldiers. As soon as Odin saw them from the corner of his eye, he began speaking:

"The war with the Chitauri has begun. Thanos is leading them; working for Mistress Death. He seeks the Infinity Gauntlet. As of right now he has three soul gems. Those of Mind, Space, and Reality. These give him great power, so we must fight with our best efforts. To the last Asgardian battle cry; to the last drop of Asgardian blood. We will rise tomorrow and begin our attack. Our strategy is simple: kill Thanos, kill them all. …It is the only way."

Silence hung in the air as the Allfather's words were accepted by the Asgardians. They all bowed before their king, and placed their hands over their hearts in respect for Asgard. Loki did the same.

"Father," Loki called out, almost cringing at his own word choice. Odin looked to him, surprised. "I want to ask something of you." Loki stood up and approached Odin, with Emmeline following close behind.

"I am listening," said Odin.

"Emmeline and I wish to be married," he said, trying to hide the fear of the Allfather's answer that was rushing into him. Loki almost thought he saw something of a smile on Odin's face.

"And why should I heed this request?" he asked. Loki looked sternly into Odin's eyes.

"Because I love her," he replied. "Because I need her, and I will need her forever. I don't need to tell you this. If you won't do it, then—"

"—I will oversee." Odin looked pleasingly at Loki and Emmeline.

"We wish to do it tonight," said Loki. "Before the war." Odin nodded to him.

"I will see you here then, tonight," he replied. Loki nodded back to the Allfather and looked back at Emmeline, who was smiling so big he could see each one of her porcelain white teeth.

For the rest of the day, Loki and Emmeline trained for the coming battle. Thor, Lady Sif, and the Three sparred with them on the bifrost while Odin worked out battle positions with his army. The bifrost was the only place the Chitauri couldn't go. The magic in the Rainbow Bridge was like acid poison to the Chitauri. If a Chitauri soldier set foot on it, the magic would burn it until there was nothing left of its body. The Chitauri knew this, so they stayed far from the bifrost.

Loki sparred with Sif, Emmeline with Thor, and the Warriors Three fought each other; all keeping close watch on one another to ensure that no one would fall off the bridge. Sif had Loki in a neck hold with her double-bladed sword, but Loki got out of it swiftly by elbowing her in the ribs. She doubled over in pain and Loki whipped around.

"Oh, my apologies," he said. "I may have gotten a little too into it." Emmeline trotted over.

"My lovely green-eyed man, it's my turn! You should let Sif take a break." Loki chuckled. Sif left, walking off in Thor's direction.

"So come on," said Emmeline, assuming a fighting stance.

"What? Emmeline I can't, what if I hurt you like I did Sif?" Emmeline laughed.

"You won't! And I won't hurt you either. I wanna take you on; you're really sexy when you fight. I want to be a part of that." Loki couldn't help smiling at her.

"Alright," he said finally. "But I'm taking it easy on you."

"No! Let me have it, hot stuff." Emmeline touched Loki's neck and formed a thin layer of ice over his throat. When Loki shivered, Emmeline warmed it again and he smiled and swung at her lightly. She ducked to the ground and swiped her leg under Loki's feet, causing him to fall over. Emmeline stood up and smirked down at him. He sat up, one hand on his back.

"Underestimated me, didn't you babe?"

"Not at all, darling," Loki said with a smile.

* * *

As the evening drew closer and closer, every time Emmeline looked at Loki she was filled with an incredible joy. She would marry him in only a few hours, and nothing seemed more perfect. His gorgeous, sleek black hair; his piercing jade eyes; his breathtaking, make-all-the-girls-faint smile…all of him was so beautiful, and she couldn't believe he was really hers.

She was in Frigga's chambers, Sif helping her get into her dress and look beautiful for her soon-to-be husband. Loki had gone with Thor to his own chambers to get ready. Emmeline looked at herself in the queen's mirror.

"Do you think I look okay?" she asked Sif.

"You look gorgeous," Sif said. "Loki is very lucky." Emmeline smiled and looked back at the female warrior.

"I'm the lucky one," she said. Emmeline knew Sif's shaky opinions of Loki, but she still tried to be her friend. Sif seemed to support her nonetheless, which was comforting. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Every woman feels like that at her wedding," Sif replied. "…I'm sure I will."

"When you marry Thor?" Emmeline said, smiling at Sif. Sif smiled a little as well.

"What?"

"I know you like him."

"Is it that obvious?" asked Sif, blushing and looking a little worried.

"No, I can just sense it. Girl knowledge, you know?" Sif laughed. She paused for a moment.

"He loves the mortal woman," she said. Emmeline didn't know what to say. She liked Jane too. But poor Sif. If Loki loved someone else, Emmeline didn't know what she would do. She would probably kill that bitch. But Sif wouldn't do that. She may have been a warrior, but she wouldn't kill someone for an unjustifiable reason such as petty feelings. Emmeline was more emotionally driven. It was a good thing Loki loved her back.

Just then, Thor knocked and opened the door to his mother's chambers. He smiled at the two ladies.

"It is time," he said. Emmeline shared an excited look with Sif.

* * *

**Ooh! Are you guys excited? I am. :) Let me know what you think!**

**(_side note: have any of you met Tom? I really, REALLY want to and would love to hear your stories if you have! XD_)**


	20. Chapter 20

**(Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Wedding, AAHH! :) Also, I'm not complaining, but please try to review! I have quite a bunch of views, but only 2 reviews, and I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty sad. I really love feedback, so tell me what you think! Enjoy!)**

Chapter 20

Loki had never seen Emmeline look so beautiful as she did now, walking toward him on the bifrost. Loki stood next to Odin and Thor in a Midgardian 'suit'. He knew Emmeline loved them, so he would wear it, as was requested. Looking at her nearly took his breath away. It took all his self control not to grab her and take her on the Rainbow Bridge at that very moment. His mother's dress fit her perfectly, gold sparkles cascading over the white silk, flattering her every curve—around her hips and breasts. Her golden-red hair was left down in soft silken curls, rolling like a waterfall down her shoulders. She knew he loved it that way. Her big brown eyes sparkled among the stars, and Loki smiled at her as she floated toward him.

As Emmeline made her way to Loki, he found himself unable to focus on anything but her. Odin and Thor had vanished. The audience of Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and the Asgardian army vanished. It was only Loki and Emmeline. When she reached him, he took her hands in his and brought them to his lips.

"You look…breathtakingly gorgeous," he told her. "Please, have mercy." Emmeline smiled and blushed.

"You look super sexy too," she replied. "Not a hair out of place; you perfect heartthrob prince." Loki smiled at her. It was impossible not to smile at Emmeline every chance Loki got. It was his way of communicating his intense passion and love for her at every waking moment.

Odin's voice rang out on the bifrost, calling Loki and Emmeline's attention to the Allfather.

"We have gathered here, to unite Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard, and Emmeline Collins, maiden of Midgard. May this union bring happiness to the Nine Realms and the heavens of Valhalla as the love flourishes between them, as it will never die." The Allfather paused and looked to Emmeline. "The bride shall now profess her love for the groom."

Emmeline smiled at Odin and then looked Loki straight in the eyes.

"Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard…I love you from the bottom of my heart. Before I met you, I didn't have anything or anyone, and I felt outcast by the world. And if someone would have told me I'd fall in love with a demigod from outer space that tried to kidnap me, I would have called them crazy flakes." She smiled and Loki looked at her lovingly. "But you…you make me feel wanted. You make me feel special and loved. And I want to make you feel like that; I feel like I understand you better than anyone, and I love you the way you are. I'm messed up and have freaky powers, but you love me anyway. I don't care if you're a Frost Giant, an Asgardian prince, or an alien from Mars; I love every bit of you. Not to mention you are really mega super hot. You are a powerful, dominant man; conquering the world and looking damn good doing it. I love the way you walk like a swag master, I love the way you talk like a Harvard graduate, I love the way you beat people up for me, and I love the way you love me. Every day with you is like falling in love all over again and I can't think of anyone better to fall with for the rest of my life. I'll love you to infinity and beyond, and no matter what happens, I'll follow you to the ends of the universe. Let's take over the world together, Loki."

If it weren't for everyone watching he and Emmeline, Loki would have cried, out of sheer love for her. She squeezed his hands when she finished and smiled at him. Odin looked to his adopted son.

"And the groom shall now profess his love for the bride," he said. Loki swallowed; he had so much to say, even eternity wouldn't be enough time. But he would do his best to tell her. Try to possibly explain to her the depths of his devotion.

"Emmeline Collins, maiden of Midgard; I love you more than I can possibly explain. Before you I thought I couldn't care for anything; that nothing was worth sparing in this Hell-pit of a universe. But you showed up and pushed all of those thoughts out of orbit. My soul is a black abyss of darkness and cruelty, but you are the light in the midst of it all. You love me for who I am, and that's more than I could ever ask of anyone. I love your determination, I love your power, and I love your eyes. You take away my emptiness and my pain; my loneliness and suffering. Madness plagues my heart, and you are that madness. Without you, I would surely die. Everything of importance to me would mean nothing. You are my only reason to be alive. And you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. I am but a victim to your physical charm. You are my one weakness, but I do not care. You are living proof that happiness is possible for me. I want to give you the world; I want you to rule by my side as the queen you were born to be. Every taste of your lips is like satisfying an addiction so strong that you would die for the want of it. Every word out of your mouth is like the song of the angels of Valhalla, beckoning me to hang onto everything you say. Every gaze I place upon you fills me with an overwhelming joy. Every time you touch me, you take all my burdens that hold me down and leave me feeling weightless. I would die Emmeline, in exchange for just one more second of your happiness. I want to spend eternity with you. I can only give you all of myself, but one day I _will _give you the world."

Tears of happiness sparkled in Emmeline's bright brown eyes. She held her stare at him and smiled, flashing him her perfect white teeth. When Odin spoke, they didn't lift their gazes.

"We pray that this marriage is pleasing to the heavens, as the love between the two has been proven. By the power vested unto me by Valhalla, I now proclaim Loki Odinson of Asgard and Emmeline Collins of Midgard husband and wife for eternity." Odin looked at Loki and smiled. "You may now kiss the bride."

Loki looked intently into Emmeline's eyes and placed his hands on the small of her back, pulling her into him and pressing his lips to hers. The Asgardians around them clapped, but Loki could only hear Emmeline's soft moans as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She intoxicated him with her kiss; it was as if nothing mattered to him but her. Making her happy, keeping her safe, pleasuring her in any way she wanted…only that was what Loki placed importance upon now.

When Loki and Emmeline finally let go of the kiss, Loki felt something on his wrist, on his right hand. This was it; the Mark of One Soul. Emmeline gasped and both of them looked at each other's wrists. Loki studied his wrist and just below his palm, the Mark began to form. It burned a little for a second, and then the black marking appeared fully and permanently. He stared at it. It was a cluster of twisted and curled lines inside of a diamond shape. Loki knew what the symbol was, and it made him smile.

"What is it?" Emmeline asked him. Odin leaned in to look at it and so did Thor.

"It is the Twist of Fate," Odin stated.

"It symbolizes that our souls are bound as one by fate and fate alone. We were destined," said Loki. Emmeline smiled up at him.

"I knew it," she said.

* * *

When the ceremony was over and all congratulations had been doled out, Loki picked Emmeline up and carried her off the bifrost and into the palace, leaving their friends cheering. Emmeline had never been happier. She had just married the man of her dreams; the man she loved. She smiled to herself as she looked at him.

"I'll take you to my chambers now," he said. "If it is inhabited by any Chitauri, I will just kill any who are in there."

"Why can't we just go back to your mom's room?" Emmeline asked. Loki gave her a disturbed expression.

"I'm not going to make love to you in Mother's room!" he said. Emmeline chuckled.

"Oh yeah, sorry," she said. When they neared Loki's room, there was one soldier standing in front of the door. It spotted Loki and Emmeline and charged toward them, but Emmeline froze it quickly with her powers. Loki looked down at her.

"I love you," he said, smiling. She gave a cheeky smile back. Loki opened the door and luckily the room was empty. He set Emmeline down on his bed—which she noticed was remarkably soft—and closed the door. He turned back to her with a mischievous smile.

"I know we've done this…_several_ times before tonight," he said, stalking toward her with a playful gleam in his eye. He slowly crawled onto the bed, pinning Emmeline down to the black and gold sheets as he held himself above her. "But this time will be different." Emmeline let out a slow sigh; the simple look he was giving her seduced her.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked breathlessly. Loki licked his lips and traced his finger down her cheek, down her neck… Emmeline closed her eyes and sighed again.

"I mean," Loki whispered softly, beginning to slip her dress off of her shoulders, "I'm going to back down and let _you_ call the shots." Loki spoke slowly and softly; seducing Emmeline in a way that only made her desire him more. Loki's shining emerald eyes stared into her glossy brown, his face leaning so slowly down to hers that Emmeline almost couldn't take it anymore. She let out a breath she'd been holding when Loki's lips finally grazed against hers. He kissed her tenderly, pushing the rest of Emmeline's dress off of her. When he had tossed the beautiful dress onto the floor, he let go of Emmeline and stood up in front of her. She sat up, longing for his touch once again. Loki spread his arms out, that mischievous grin never fading from his expression.

"Do to me what you wish, my darling," he said. Emmeline gave Loki her own mischievous grin and gripped his tie, slowly pulling him down to her until their noses were touching. She brought her lips to his ear and whispered:

"You don't know what you've asked for." Loki smiled and chuckled darkly as Emmeline pulled him back onto the bed with her.

* * *

Loki awoke the next morning to Emmeline's head resting on his bare chest. He smiled down at her, his beautiful princess. He brought his right hand up to stroke her hair as she still slept soundly.

On his wrist he noticed the Twist of Fate; the symbol that arose on he and Emmeline's wrists. They were fated to be together; destined from the beginning of all the Nine Realms. That made him smile. He turned back to the princess that captured his heart; her auburn curls in a mess over his chest. She was perfect. She was a goddess. Loki could hardly believe she was a mortal.

_Mortal_.

Loki had known she was a mortal from the beginning; he had never denied this fact. But yet the word lingered in his mind now. Loki was a god. He would live for thousands of years…and yet Emmeline's kind only got a measly century, if even that. She would age; begin fading away before Loki's very eyes. How would he handle that? When Emmeline died, it would surely kill him. And if it didn't, Loki would find a way to die. He would beg Thor; beg Odin. Odin would be obliged.

Emmeline started to stir, lifting her head off of Loki's chest and greeting him with a smile.

"Good mor—" she started, but her smile faded. "Loki, what's wrong? Why do you look so sad?"

"It is nothing," Loki replied. "I was just thinking about…your mortal kind…"

"We don't live very long," Emmeline finished. Loki said nothing, afraid of upsetting her. "I've been thinking about that too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, that's why I married you, but…will you still love me when I'm not pretty anymore?" Loki smiled sweetly at her.

"Of course my love. However I cannot imagine that ever happening, especially not after last night." Emmeline giggled.

"Oh yeah. By the way, I meant to ask you but I was…otherwise engaged; you turned a little blue last night. A lot blue. I know you're a Frost Giant, but why did you turn if you weren't holding the Casket?"

"All this time my Asgardian skin has been a subconscious illusion I have maintained to blend in. Last night you stormed through my defenses with your seductive caress and all control I had over my magic was lost. My Jotun form was then exposed. Did it bother you?"

"Oh no! I was just wondering. Loki, of course it wouldn't bother me! I love every frosty bit of you." Loki smiled and Emmeline kissed him quickly. She stood up and wrapped a sheet around herself.

"Why do you cover yourself?" Loki asked. "We are not strangers." Emmeline blushed.

"I know," she said. "I just…I don't know. I don't want you to study me too close. It makes me self conscious."

"Emmeline, there is not a _single_ part of you that I don't like."

"Not even my feet?" she asked. Loki chuckled.

"Now what's wrong with your feet?" he asked.

"They're big."

"That's foolish; they're perfect. You are perfect." Emmeline blushed again.

"You're perfect too, but I must say, your hair is my favorite part…and your neck. Oh, your hair is so long and black and your neck is just so…oh." Emmeline shuddered a little. Loki grinned.

"Come back over here so I can kiss you," he said.

* * *

Everyone noticed the sky turning black that morning. Everyone noticed the smoke that filled the air, giving off an aura of danger and power. Everyone noticed the gigantic figure arising from the newly-made crater outside the palace. An eerie silence swept over the Asgardian people; mothers holding their children close in an effort to protect them from whatever this was. As the smoke cleared, a blue light shone from the hand of the figure. The light illuminated from what was recognized as a golden glove with three gems in it. There were six spaces for gems, and three of them were missing. The people didn't know what this bright glove was; but Thor did. It was the Infinity Gauntlet; incomplete, but still powerful. Thanos had arrived in Asgard. Thor knew he had to tell the Allfather; Thanos wouldn't waste time.

Thor used Mjolnir to fly him to the bifrost, where his father was training the Asgardian army.

"Father!" Thor called. Odin turned to address his son. "Thanos has arrived. He is in the village."

"It is time," Odin replied. "Warn Loki and his wife." Thor nodded and made his way inside the palace, taking out any soldiers within his path. When he approached Loki's chambers, he pounded on the door.

"Loki!" he called. Emmeline was the one to open the door.

"Thor, is everything okay?" she asked. Loki came to the door when he heard Thor's name.

"Thanos is here," Thor said. "The war has begun." Loki paused, and then turned to Emmeline.

"Stay by my side at all times. I do not want you getting hurt," he said. Emmeline nodded and Loki turned to Thor.

"Let us not waste time," he said.

Thor, Loki, and Emmeline all hurried to the bifrost, where Odin, Sif, the Warriors Three and the Asgardian army were waiting. All of them were sullen; holding heavy in their hearts the lives that were to be lost and the fear of whom it would be. The fear of losing the war.

"Under all costs, protect the people," Odin said to his army of warriors. "If Thanos wins, the fate of all Nine Realms will be in the balance."

With those simple words, Odin released his army to begin fighting the Chitauri. Thor moved out with them and Sif caught up to him.

"Don't lose hope," she said. She must have seen the less-than-courageous look on Thor's face.

"Of course not, my lady," Thor said. "We cannot afford doubt at a time like this."

Emmeline had known when Thanos arrived. The minute he set foot in Asgard she could sense it. She felt a surge inside of her, like a strange energy pulling at her. She felt her powers surge as well; reacting to the energy. What was it, and why was it affecting her this way? She didn't know. But with that energy there was an eerie, dangerous feeling with it. An instinct to fight or flee. Fight. But she knew they couldn't do it alone.

Asgard's army was impressive. It was large and hard to kill. Sif was an excellent warrior and the Warriors Three could take all of Jotunheim if they wanted to, but from what Emmeline had seen of the Chitauri, they would need help. Professional, hero help. When Loki began to follow Thor after Odin had sent his army off, Emmeline grabbed him and stopped when they made it to the golden pedestal in the observatory.

"What is it love?" asked Loki.

"Where's Heimdall?" Emmeline asked, not answering his question. "He can see everyone right?"

"Yes, but what do you need of his powers?"

"The Avengers have fought the Chitauri before. They couldn't do it by themselves, so they called on us and we helped them. …I don't think we can do it alone either, so it's time they return the favor. I need Heimdall to bring them here."

"Are you sure they—"

"—S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about this Infinity thing. We need all the help we can get. With their research, we can find out how to stop Thanos and his weird magic stuff. Plus, if he wins, Earth will be in danger too. This is their fight as well." Loki nodded.

"Very well. Heimdall sees everything, yes; so he will see you searching for him. He will be here in—"

"—Right you are, Prince Loki," Heimdall said, entering the observatory. "You needed me, Princess?" Emmeline smiled at the new title and put her hand around the handle of the golden sword.

"Will you send for the Avengers?" she asked. "They will help us." Heimdall nodded once.

"I will," he said. He approached the pedestal and Emmeline stepped down from it. She studied Heimdall as he looked out amongst the stars, searching for her friends. He then closed his eyes and pushed the golden sword into the pedestal, sending the bifrost spinning. Emmeline looked to make sure there wasn't anyone on it at the moment, and she let out a sigh of relief when she realized there wasn't.

After a brief moment, the bifrost dropped Tony, Steve, Banner, and Agent Romanoff on the floor of the Asgardian observatory. They all shook their heads, dizzy from the unexpected journey, and looked up to see Emmeline standing over them.

"Hi guys!" she said.

* * *

**(Ooh, it's about to go down! We're nearing the end folks, so if there is anything you would like to see before that time, let me know! :) Also, if you want to see Loki and Emmeline's Mark of One Soul, I set it as my profile pic. I drew the actual symbol, and edited it into the picture of them. For Emmeline, I used the German supermodel Barbara Meier. So if you want, check it out.)**


	21. Chapter 21

**(Author's Note: I'm so sorry! It usually doesn't take me this long to update, but to be completely honest, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. It's about to get real and I didn't really know how to write it. So I'm really sorry if this chapter is crappy and I hope I did okay. I tried my best. Please review and tell me what you think! I have a bit of a plot twist coming up in the next chapter too, so get excited!)**

Chapter 21

"Emmeline? What the Hell is going on? Where are we?" asked Tony, getting up off the floor. His Iron Man mask retracted, showing his face. The others got up too, and looked around the observatory.

"Welcome to Asgard," said Heimdall. Emmeline went and greeted her friends and hugged them.

"Sorry guys; I needed you up here," she said.

"What is it?" asked Tony with a smile. If none of the others would, Emmeline knew Tony would help her.

"How ready are you guys to engage in an alien battle that holds the future of the universe in its hands right now?" she asked with a wince. Tony's Iron Man mask covered his face once again.

"Doc: get angry. 4th of July: helmet on. Catsuit: I don't have a death wish so I'm not going to tell you what to do. Let's kick some alien ass." Emmeline smiled.

"Alright, follow us," she said. She led her friends to Loki and he nodded to the Avengers.

"What's up, Reindeer Games? You have pretty nice digs," said Tony.

"Thank you, Man of Iron," Loki replied. "I will try not to kill you while you are here."

"Thanks, that means a lot."

"Alright, let's go boys," said Natasha. Emmeline, with her friends following her, had almost made it out the observatory before Loki grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said. "Can I speak with you for a moment? Alone?" Emmeline looked at her friends. Banner nodded. Loki took her to the other side of the room.

"What is it?" she asked. Loki looked at her with a worried look on his face.

"Emmeline…I want to send you to Midgard."

"What?"

"I don't want you fighting this battle. You will get hurt; I only want to protect you."

"Loki, this is my fight as well as yours. You can't just tell me not to participate in the salvation of the world."

"Yes I can. I will not let you. You—"

"—No! Loki, I'm not going back to Earth, especially not after I brought my friends here! Why are you being this way?!" Emmeline yelled, getting angry.

"I—"

"—Why the sudden concern? I've fought before, and you've never said anything! Why would you do this now, this is when it matters! I don't understand why you—"

"—BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!" Loki screamed, tears streaming down the sides of his face. "…I can't. You've almost slipped from my fingers twice, and I will not let it happen a third time. I…I _love _you, Emmeline. You are my wife, and if something were to happen to you, I would go mad. Not even the salvation of the Nine Realms would be worth your sacrifice." Loki looked down, hiding his tears from the Avengers on the other side of the room, and looked back up at Emmeline.

"Loki," she said, wiping his tears and taking his hands in hers. "We're going to do this together. We're going to save the world together. I love you." She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, Loki's face in her hair.

"I promise."

* * *

Loki, Emmeline, and the Avengers marched into the Asgardian village with Thor and his team. They could see from far away the frightened people, the bright lights of the three gems, and Thanos; standing with an evil grin in front of the people he intended to kill. Many Chitauri soldiers stood behind and around him, and the sky grew dark. Loki noticed Emmeline leaving his side to go talk to Thor, and he followed her.

"What's the plan?" she asked his brother.

"We are first going to talk to him," answered Thor. Loki scoffed. As if that would work. "An attack would be foolish; but we are not going to wait for him to attack our people." Emmeline nodded.

The army advanced closer to Thanos, and when they had reached the crowd of frightened people, Odin and Thor approached him. Thanos smiled malevolently.

"Hello Allfather," he said in a deep voice that could strike fear into the strongest of men.

"Thanos," Odin replied, nodding.

"Surely you do not believe you can stop me with words before I take your planet," said Thanos. He looked coldly into Odin's eye. "_Asgard will be mine, and not one grain of sand will be salvageable_." Odin's returning stare did not falter.

"So be it, Thanos," he said. "But you must know that I and my army will return your attack…and we will not fail." Thanos snickered.

"You are a fool," he said.

Loki turned around and walked a few steps away from Emmeline. She followed him.

"What is it?" she asked him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"He has part of the Gauntlet," Loki replied. "It is not complete, but still very powerful. Too powerful." Loki turned to Emmeline. "This war cannot be won by brawn and battle alone. The best opponent for magic is magic. I am going to the library to study; and when I come back I will be of better use and we may have a chance of winning this war. Come with me; I do not want you hurt in battle in my absence."

"But I can't leave them," Emmeline said. "At least tell Thor." Loki hesitated, then sighed.

"Alright." Emmeline took Loki's hand in hers and they approached Thor as he retreated back to the crowd.

"The battle is starting now," Thor said. "Get in position."

"I need to go to the library," Loki said. "No time for questions; but it is urgent." Thor hesitated for a moment. "I know you cannot trust me, but at least trust Emmeline. She wouldn't let me betray you now; and I would abide by her wishes." Thor eventually nodded.

"Hurry brother," he said. "We will need you." Loki nodded to him and took off with Emmeline by his side. Once they reached the observatory, she let out a breath.

"Loki, my power…surges or something…when I'm near him. Thanos. It feels like it builds up and I need to force it out of me or I'll explode. Isn't that weird?" Loki paused. That certainly was strange. Of course he knew it wasn't Thanos that caused her power surge; it was the Gauntlet. But why?

"Perhaps I can find some answers in the library," Loki replied. He hurried through the deserted palace halls—as the Chitauri soldiers had all gone out to aid Thanos in his destruction—thinking of the book he would need and searching in his mind where to find it. He squeezed Emmeline's hand. She struggled to keep up with him.

"You're tense," she said. "Are you afraid?" Loki looked down and slowed his pace.

"…What would you say if I was?" he asked.

"I would say I love you. And that it's okay." Loki smiled at her endearingly as they approached the library. She smiled back and he opened the large golden door, revealing the majesty of the Asgardian Royal Library; every book imaginable mounting the curved wall, rising so high that no man could reach the books on the top shelf without magic.

"Oh my God," Emmeline said in disbelief. "This is…wow." Loki shut the door behind her.

"We have no time to waste," he said.

"How will you ever find the book you want? You could search through thousands and not find the right one," Emmeline said.

"I know where it is darling," Loki replied. "The section of magic and sorcery…" Loki looked at the books above him as he made his way to the east side of the library. Emmeline followed. Loki fixed his eyes on the three books he wanted and tried to remember the spell to get them down. His mother had taught it to him when he was learning magic, and he replayed the memory in his head. His mother's voice filled his mind and he whispered the words to himself.

Suddenly the three books floated down to Loki, and Emmeline gasped. He looked at her, making sure nothing bad had happened. She must have seen the worried look on his face.

"Sorry," she said. "That was awesome." Loki smiled and set the books on a table. Emmeline studied the covers. "What does it say?"

"They're Asgardian runes; very ancient. This one says _Spells of Protection_, this one _The Magic of War_, and this last one says _Hardol's Healing Spells_," Loki replied. Emmeline nodded. Loki looked at her, seeing through her calm expression.

"Are you afraid?" he asked her, echoing her previous question. Emmeline looked up at him.

"Yeah, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm terrified." She giggled, trying to lighten her own mood. Loki took his attention away from the books and turned to Emmeline. He pulled her body to his and held her there, his face in her hair.

"I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you safe," he said. "I love you." He felt Emmeline's unsteady breath on his neck.

"It's not me I'm worried about," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you, Loki." She looked up at him and Loki kissed her passionately.

"You'll be alright. I'll be alright." He held up his wrist, revealing the Twist of Fate that had appeared the day before. "Remember?" He took Emmeline's wrist and pressed it to his, interlocking his fingers with hers. She nodded.

"Yeah," she said, trying to smile. Loki kissed her.

"Why don't you watch the battle from the window while I read these books," he said. "We don't want to miss anything important." Emmeline nodded and took off for the window on the other side of the room. "I won't be long."

* * *

Silent tears streamed down Emmeline's face as she looked upon the battle below the library window. The war had started; and quickly. She saw Thor swinging Mjolnir at oncoming soldiers, Banner had transformed himself into the Hulk, and Tony was flying around blasting soldiers. Steve and Natasha ran toward Thanos, but he pushed them back with just a simple flick of his wrist. The Infinity Gauntlet was glowing with power from the three soul gems Thanos had obtained.

Asgardian citizens were screaming and running, children getting left behind, fathers shot down. Emmeline knew she shouldn't be in the library watching. She wanted to help them. Loki was busy practicing his war magic and Emmeline silently begged him to hurry.

Thanos stalked the land of Asgard, moving past the terrified citizens and warriors. Emmeline suddenly saw Odin enter the scene, mounted on a large black horse with eight legs. He sliced through several soldiers on his path to where Thanos stood; Emmeline knowing it would only be a matter of time before the two clashed together in battle. Her eyes back on Thanos, Emmeline saw the energy of the Tesseract envelope the Infinity Gauntlet in a blue glow, making a few citizens stop in their tracks. Emmeline studied one particular citizen. His eyes turned blue and he dropped to his knees, sitting there like a lame dog. The Tesseract effected many minds on the battlefield; even Natasha slowed down and looked confused for a moment. But she snapped back into reality and shook her head, trying to keep her focus.

Even from the library window Emmeline could hear the screaming, the clanging of swords, and the cries of battle. She heard Thor's mighty yell as Mjolnir took down another soldier, and the high-pitched _pew _of Tony's iron suit blasters. She saw the yellow Reality gem on the Infinity Gauntlet glow and the sky suddenly grew darker; grey clouds rolling in, dropping fast and sharp raindrops on the battlefield. At the same time, the purple Space gem glowed, and Thanos appeared everywhere. He was in all places at once, and Asgardians were being mowed down. Emmeline winced as more tears flooded her vision. The air became warped as everything twisted; Emmeline couldn't tell if it was her eyes or the Gauntlet. She heard a deep, haughty malevolent laugh; knowing it was Thanos. She heard it in her mind; shaking her thoughts with its volume and the threat of death.

Suddenly Emmeline's view of the war blacked out, and she saw a blurry vision of Loki and Thanos. Loki stood before Thanos with Heimdall's golden sword, and Thanos smiled devilishly at the god. Loki drew back the sword, but before he could force it at Thanos, the Chitauri king reached into Loki's chest with the Infinity Gauntlet and pulled out his still-beating heart. Loki looked down at his chest, at a bloody hole where Thanos had just pulled his heart from. Tissue and blood fell out of it, and Thanos held Loki's bleeding heart in front of his face. He smiled and crushed it in his hand. Loki fell to the ground lifeless, and disappeared.

Emmeline gasped as reality came back to her. She breathed heavily and noticed she was on the ground. She looked to her right where Loki stood in front of the books on magic, and he flashed her a look of concern.

"Darling, are you alright?" he asked. Emmeline swallowed.

"Thanos is using the Tesseract to mess with my head," she said. "I think he's doing it to everyone… Loki, you have to hurry! We need to get out there!"

"I'm doing everything I can," Loki replied. "If this wasn't important, Thor would not have let me go."

"I know," said Emmeline, redirecting her attention back to the window.

Thanos had conjured gigantic slimy Chitauri beasts with the Gauntlet, that were now running through the village, devouring everything in sight. Odin had his eight-legged horse running at full speed, and he held a long golden staff pointed at Thanos. The Allfather's horse reared back and struck Thanos in the chest with its four front hooves as it reached him. Odin swung his staff at Thanos and dismounted his horse. Thanos countered the attack with the Infinity Gauntlet, the two kings engaging in the thick of the war. Emmeline looked to Loki.

"Odin is fighting Thanos," she said. "We need to be out there. What if he gets hurt?" Loki said nothing as he stared at the books, all three of them open. "Loki, he could die out there, people are dying and we're just sitting here! We need to go!" Loki shut his eyes tightly and let out a loud yell of frustration. The light in the library flickered, and a strong wave of magic forced every book off of the shelf, flying in the air and then dropping to the floor. Emmeline flinched as Loki shot her a blood shot glare.

"Do you not think I am trying?!" he roared. "I have so little time to study this while half of my allies _die_ out there, and I am utterly useless unless I have some way to help them! So just SHUT UP AND BE PATIENT!" Emmeline froze, shocked at his sudden rage, and said nothing.

A strong gust of wind is what brought Emmeline's attention back to the window. The wind had suddenly become strong and whipped across Emmeline's face and hair, making the pages of Loki's books ripple violently. Emmeline's hair stuck to her face and she struggled to see the battlefield. The wind was roaring down on the war grounds as well, making it more difficult for people to run and fight.

The ground began crumbling beneath them, and Emmeline could feel it too. A large crack formed in the dirt on the ground, and it split wider and wider, some Asgardians falling in. Natasha backed up from a soldier she was fighting, and her left foot tripped over the edge. She fell backwards and tumbled into the abyss Thanos had created. Emmeline gasped, but Steve caught Natasha's hand just in time. But he couldn't pull her up. He held her there, and Emmeline could tell he was yelling for her to hold on. She could see the strain on Steve's face as he tried to pull Natasha up while the ground was shaking around him, the wind gusting and so much blood it was blinding.

But to Emmeline's relief, Tony flew by and helped Steve pull Natasha from the dark canyon. Emmeline looked to Odin and Thanos still wrestling, noticing the Gauntlet glow brighter and brighter, this time with all three colors of blue, yellow, and purple. The light of the colors of the gems enveloped the entire Gauntlet and shot up to the sky. Emmeline suddenly felt an enormous power surge inside of her. She fell to the floor and closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold in her fire and ice. She could feel her power rush inside of her, somehow reacting to the energy of the Infinity Gauntlet as she writhed on the floor. It was hot; like her blood had been brought to a boil and was racing through her veins. She let out a scream and Loki gasped when he saw her.

"Emmeline, you're glowing!" he said.

Emmeline opened her eyes and realized he was right; her entire body was covered in a red glow, growing bigger and bigger as her power increased.

"What's happening?" Loki asked, rushing to her side. He reached out to her, but drew back quickly as her ruby glow burned him. Emmeline cringed and yelled as loud as she could, the energy overtaking her. She looked up at Loki and back at her glowing hands.

"I don't know."

* * *

**Dun dun DUUNNN! Ooh, what do you think is happening to Emmeline? I hope I didn't totally fail on this chapter, but I will try to really bring it next time, so be prepared for that. Also, I think I mentioned this in the last chapter, but the Twist of Fate is my profile pic if you want to see it. I drew the symbol, but edited it into the picture. Thanks! :)**


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